Tears Of Fate
by forest-owl
Summary: Set one year after the game ends. A new evil, and what's happening with Rinoa's powers? CH. 25 up! Rinoa may be back at Garden, but things aren't quite right.
1. Beginnings

**Chapter 1 - Beginnings**

_Authors Note: I do not own any of the character's in this Fan Fiction, nor do I own Final Fantasy. They belong to and are copyrighted by Squaresoft/Square-Enix. Please R&R! By the way, this fiction does not support the Rinoa Ultimecia because I am strongly against this theory. Ask me why if you want _

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Squall and Rinoa looked at each other. Rinoa smiled softly at him. They slowly leaned in towards each other and kissed. Just a gentle kiss. Nothing special. As they kissed they seemed suddenly quite shy towards one another. They both had one hand on the stone balcony wall and their other arm was by their side. Their mouths were the only parts touching.

Squall timidly lifted his arm, that was by his side, and raised it towards her. He placed his hand on her cheek. Then, seconds later, raised his other arm and placed it on her arm. Feeling his gentle touch on her skin, Rinoa placed her arms in similar positions around him.

After a few seconds, they reluctantly pulled away from each other. They looked into each others eyes. They were standing on the blacony outside the ballroom. But it was empty now. It had been about a year since the last battle with Ultimecia. A lot had happened in that time.

Galbadia Garden was back under its own control again with Martine as the Headmaster once more. All 3 gardens had worked together to rebuild Trabia Garden which was now fully functional - having been finished 2 months previously. Headmaster Cid had a new office and living quarters which were adjacent to where his old office used to be. Balamb Garden had returned and settled down where it used to be. Esthar was now free from all of the monsters that came down during the Lunar Cry - the odd monster showed up but that's it. Lots of the monsters had been defeated, but many were just driven away from the city. Esthar had also broken it's 17 year silence and come back into the world just after Ultimecia was defeated.

Rinoa smiled at Squall. Squall smiled breifly at Rinoa then took her hand. His smiled vanished but the feeling didn't. He gently kissed her forehead then lead her away by her hand. Squall lead Rinoa across the centre of the dance floor. He wasn't facing her, but every now and then he would turn to face her then turn away again. He lead her out of the ballroom and into Balamb Garden's hallway.

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Zell sat in the cafeteria. Since defeating Ultimecia and everything, Zell had been able to spend more time with his hotdogs. He knew the best times at which to come to get some. He sat with a plateful of hotdogs in front of him.

He picked up one of the hotdogs and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Excuse me?" said a voice from infront of him.

Zell looked up from his plate to the owner of the voice. He was so shocked he almost choked. It was Emily! She used to be known to him and the others as Girl with Pig-Tail (or library girl), but after everything with Ultimecia, Zell had a lot of free time on his hands and went to the library a lot. He also worked with her on Trabia Garden quite a bit.

"Heych, Em'my, wanna schih hownh?" He said through his food.

Emily giggled.

"What?" She said.

Zell quickly chewed his food then swallowed.

"Hey, Emily, wanna sit down?" He repeated.

Emily giggled once again then nodded. She sat down opposite Zell. Zell, rather reluctantly, gestured towards his hotdogs, offering her one. She smiled and took one. They began chatting.

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Irvine sat opposite Selphie and Quistis in cafeteria. They had sat apart from Zell so he could enjoy his hotdogs in peace. Selphie was excitedly talking to Quistis. Quistis didn't seem as excited but did seem to be enjoying the conversation and was interested in it. Irvine wasn't really listening to it. He was just watching Selphie. She was so bubbly and cute, as always. He wanted so much just to be with her, always. Selphie turned to Irvine and beamed.

"Dont'cha 'gree Irvy?" She asked

"Hmm...What? Sorry." Irvine asked, shking himself out of his daze.

"Wouldn't it be great if Trabia and Balamb Gardens joined together for a mega Garden Festival next year?" Selphie repeated

"Err, yeh. Cool Sefie." Irvine said.

Irvine looked around the cafeteria as Selphie turned around once more to Quistis. He looked over at Zell's table and smiled. He gently nudged Selphie under the table with his leg. Selphie ignored him at first. Irvine nudged her a couple more times when she finally turned to him.

"What? What is it Irvy?" Selphie asked.

Irvine nodded his head in Zell's direction and the girls turned to look.

"Aww! They'd make such a cute couple!" Selphie exclaimed.

Zell and Emily had become friends over the past year but that's it. He got embarassed and then angry when someone teased him about their friendship so he'd never made a move on her, although they all knew he wanted to.

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Ellone walked through the corridors of the house she lived in with Laguna. Kiros and Ward lived a few doors down. Laguna had to work late in the Presidential Palace so she was on her own. There were a few guards posted near the house but none actually in it.

She had been reading, but suddenly felt light-headed and stopped. She was trying to make her way back to her bedroom. She held one hand to her head and stuck the other hand out for balance. She stopped suddenly and pressed her back up against the wall. She held her head with both hands now.

Images, blurred images, rushed through her head. Some faces she knew - Rinoa and Squall etc. - and some faces she didn't. She felt great suffering and pain. Fire. A scream. After a few moments these images stopped. She opened her eyes (they had been closed before) and then stood up straight.

She was confused. What was that? She didn't have that sort of power. She looked around, hoping to see someone to help her. She was suddenly panicked. She was hoping she'd see Laguna coming to help her. But he wasn't there. Just a dark, empty corridor. Ellone's breath shortened and grew faster.

"Uncle...Laguna..." She whispered.

Then she collapsed onto the floor.

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Note: Sorry it's not that exciting. But this is sort of just an intro one. I promise it'll get more exciting soon! Please keep reading!


	2. Interrupted Again

**Chapter 2 - Interrupted again**

Authors Note: Still don't own the game or any of it's characters. sigh

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Rinoa and Squall lay on Squall's bed in his dorm room. Rinoa was cuddled up to Squall, and he had his arm around her. They had been like this all night. When they had gotten back from the ballroom they had kissed etc. on Squall's bed for awhile before lying peacefully in each other's arms.

"Mmm. This is bliss. I never want this to end..." Rinoa said softly

"..."

Squall looked over at his digital clock on the bedside table. 8:24.

"...We should be getting to breakfast." Squall said finally

Rinoa sat up a little and looked over at the clock. She groaned and buried her head in Squall's chest.

"Okay, I suppose. Let me just wash up." She said finally and leapt over Squall and off the bed.

She smiled at Squall as she disappeared into the adjacent bathroom. She brushed her teeth and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She rinsed her mouth then went back out to Squall. He was sitting on his bed waiting for her. When he heard the door open he leapt up and turned to her. Rinoa smiled and they headed off to breakfast.

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Selphie, Irvine, Quistis and Zell were already in breakfast when Rinoa and Squall came in. Selphie and Irvine had pushed their chairs together - a bit like a bench - and were sitting close together. Irvine had his arm resting on the tops of the chairs then onto Selphie's shoulder.

"Hey you two. Have a good sleep?" Quistis said grinning

The others started grinning too. Squall shot Quistis an annoyed glare then cast it

around at the others and sat down. Rinoa giggled silently behind him then sat down.

"So are you guys all ready for the ball tonight?" Selphie asked, changing the subject hastily.

Zell nearly choked on his piece of toast in it. She swallowed his food then turned to Selphie.

"Ball? What ball?" He asked urgently

"The Inauguration ball for the new SeeDs, duh!" Selphie replied

"What's wrong Zell? Not got a date?" Irvine asked "Cuz I could probably fix you up with somone if you want-"

"No no no. It's fine. Really..." Zell said hastily

"So are we still meeting up earlier to get ready?" Rinoa asked Selphie and Quistis.

"Yup!" Selphie exclaimed

Quistis nodded. They all ate their breakfast, talking excitedly about the ball among other things. Quistis finally had to head off for class, Zell excused himself and ran off, and then Irvine excused himself and went off also. The intercom then boomed through the Garden,

"This is the Headmaster, could Squall please report to my office."

Squall sighed, kissed Rinoa on the cheek and left the Cafeteria.

"So...Why were you two late this morning?" Selphie asked grinning

"We were, err," Rinoa started, beginning to feel herself go red.

Selphie's grin grew giant and she clapped her hands in joy, guessing what she mean't. Rinoa looked at her and shook her head vigourously and waved her hands in a similar motion too.

"No no no no no. Not THAT. We were just...talking...and cuddling...and kissing. But not sex!" She corrected

"Yeh yeh, whatever!" Selphie teased

"We weren't! Anyway, from what I've heard you and Irvine are closer to that than we are" Rinoa teased back.

Selphie fell quiet and started blushing too.

"A-Anyway. Do you wanna go to Balamb later? I wanna look for something" Selphie said, changing the subject.

Rinoa giggled and nodded.

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Squall got off of the elevator and went through the double doors in front of him. He went past the elevator that went up to the bridge, and into Cid's office. Squall had his own office also, being the commander. Squall was mostly in charge of the Garden - Headmaster Cid took care of the student's classes and related topics but Squall took care of most other stuff.

He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. He heard Headmaster Cid call him in and he opened the door. Headmaster Cid was sitting at his Oak desk. He looked up when he heard the door open.

"Ah, Squall, thank you for coming. The new SeeDs will be here in a minute. I thought it best that you say something to them ahead of this evening's activities."

Squall looked at the Headmaster in disbelief. He crossed his arms and looked at the floor. After a few moments he looked at Cid.

"What should I say?" He asked

"You'll know what to say." Cid said, hearing a knocking on the office door.

He summoned them in and nodded at Squall. Squall walked over and stood behind the Headmaster. There were four new SeeDs again. Two boys and Two girls. Squall had no idea who they were or what their names were. They lined up in front of the Headmaster. They all looked quite nervous, all apart from the boy on the end. He looked fine. In fact, he almost looked as if he were bored.

"Congratulations, you are now proud members of SeeD. Balamb Garden's elite mercenary force. Before I give you your individual evaluations, I will let your Commander say a few words." The Headmaster said, then turned and gestured for Squall to step forward.

Squall crossed his arms again and stared at the floor, trying to decide what to say. After a moment he unfolded his arms and looked at the new SeeDs.

"...Congratulations. You have taken the first step of many to come as a SeeD. You have proven yourselves strong enough, smart enough, to help those less fortunate than you. I'm not saying it'll be easy, it'll be difficult. But in the end, it'll be worth it. Honour and defeat, they go hand in hand, you can't get one without the other. You were given this strength and power, and now it's time to return the favour by protecting those weaker than you and help the helpless." Squall said.

To him, he thought he sounded lame. Headmaster Cid stepped forward once more, patted him on the shoulder and whispered "well done" in his ear.

"Callum Edge, Tobias Harrow, Indy Jimal and Tippa Crossharve, I shall now give you your evaluations." Headmaster Cid said

He then went over to the person on the end of the line, walking along and giving them their evaluations and whispering comments in their ears. After the new SeeDs departed, Cid congratulated Squall once more and let him leave.

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Rinoa and Quistis sat on Rinoa's bed chatting. Selphie was in Rinoa's bathroom getting ready. Quistis was wearing a light blue, sleeveless, full length dress and she had her hair down. Her her was wavy and fell delicately over her shoulders. Rinoa was wearing a strapless, full length pearl coloured dress.

The bathroom door opened and Rinoa and Quitis' gaze turned to the door. Selphie came out and shut the door behind her. She was wearing a full length, maroon dress which tied behind her neck like Rinoa's pale yellow dress that she had worn a year ago did.

"Wow, Selphie, you look amazing!" Quistis said getting up.

"Yeah, Irvine won't be able to resist you!" Rinoa added.

Selphie smiled and they all giggled. They then headed off to the Inauguration Ball.

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The ball was in full swing when the girls arrived there. The men were all in their SeeD uniforms and only the new SeeD women or female instructors were in SeeD uniform. They only had to wear their uniforms for their Inauguration ball or sometimes if they were an instructor.

The girls walked around the dance floor and stood next to a giant fern, looking out for the boys. A waitress came over and they all took a glass of champagne off of the tray. Irvine soon came over. He looked strange, he had ditched his cowboy for the night. He smiled nervously at Selphie and offered out his arm. Selphie put her glass down, took his arm and they walked off to dance.

"They make a great couple, don't they?" Rinoa said to Quistis, watching the two of them dance

"Yeah." Quistis said after a big sigh.

"Hey," Rinoa said turning to Quistis "Don't worry, you'll meet someone."

"I guess..."

"For sure."

Quistis smiled slightly, but it quickly faded. She scanned the dance floor. She raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Oh my, is that Zell?" Quistis asked, pointing him out to Rinoa.

Rinoa looked through the crowd of dancing people and finally spotted him. He was dancing with a girl. She was wearing a short red-brown coloured dress and had shoulder-length brown hair. It took them a few moments to realise who it was.

"Is that Emily?" Rinoa gasped

"Yeah..."

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Squall stood with Headmaster Cid, Matron and some other people. He had had to arrive early since he was Commander of the Garden. They were talking about something or other. He was paying attention, he wasn't interested. To be honest, he couldn't give a damn. He lifted his eyes from the people with him and scanned the crowd. Looking for a sign, just one.

His eyes finally settled on what he was searching for. His heart skipped a beat. _Beautiful_, he thought. He excused himself from the conversation and made his way across the room. Bumping into many people on the way, he finally made it across.

"Hey, Rinoa..." He said, _absolutely beautiful._

"Hi Squall." She said, sub-consciously putting her glass down on a small table behind her.

"Do you...err...wanna dance?" He asked

Rinoa smiled.

"I thought you couldn't dance?"

"Well, it's expected of a SeeD to learn many skills, could come in useful someday."

"Oh, so it's work related." Rinoa said frowning.

Squall smiled slightly and took her hand. As soon as his hand touched hers, Rinoa stopped faking and began smiling. He lead her out to an empty space on the dance floor and they began dancing.

When the music stopped and the lights dimmed, Squall stared into Rinoa's eyes and she into his. Squall leaned in a little, closed his eyes and kissed her on the lips. Rinoa closed her eyes and kissed back. She could feel her skin heating up. A loud bang shocked them out of their kiss and they looked towards the source. Fireworks. Rinoa smiled.

"Interrupted again." She said, half laughing.

Squall turned back to Rinoa, she was looking at him. He looked around and then back at her.

"Come on." He said, gently holding her hand and leading her off of the dance floor.

He lead her out onto the balcony and over to the brick wall. The balcony was deserted. Good, he thought. She looked out at the stars above, scattering the dark night sky. Squall watched Rinoa for a few minutes then looked out at them.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Rinoa said

"What are?" Squall asked, turning back to her

"The stars. They're so beautiful. My mom..." She stopped for a moment, blinking several times she continued "...My mom, she used to say they were, little fireflies" She said, and laughed a little, but quickly stopped "She would tell me all about the different constellations before bed. She used to say, that...that..." A tear ran down her cheek "That... when she was gone...she would watch over me from the stars."

Squall gently placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him. He gave her a deep hug, holding her to his chest.

"Hey, sshh, don't worry." He said gently, stroking her soft hair.

He held her like this for several moments before she pulled out. She wiped her tears away and looked at Squall.

"Thanks." She whispered

He smiled slightly at her and looked into her eyes. Her deep, chocolate-brown eyes reflected the stars in the sky and looked somehow larger and more beautiful now that they were glazed over with tears. She wasn't crying anymore however.

He leaned in towards Rinoa and she did the same. They both closed their eyes, they didn't need to see where each other was to make their lips reach one another. They shut the music and noise of the ball out, and as far as they were concerned they were the only ones in the universe.

Their lips finally reached each others after what seemed like an age. The fact that their lips had even reached other was intoxicating. It was perfect.

"Hey guys- oh-" Irvine exclaimed running out onto the balcony

Rinoa's lips parted from Squall's and turned into a smile. She kept he eyes closed for a moment before opening them and turning to Irvine. Squall was already glaring at them in frustration. He took a deep sigh.

"Yes?" He asked, trying to remain calm.

"Can I, err, talk to you for a moment?" Irvine asked

Squall looked at Rinoa, who nodded, and then headed over to Irvine.

"Where's Selphie?" Rinoa asked, noting her absence from Irvine

"Sefie? Oh, one of the new SeeDs mentioned something about the Garden Festival and she got all excited. I think she might of actually given them a scare." Irvine replied, grinning.

Irvine gestured for Squall and himself to go inside and Rinoa turned back to the stars. She watched the stars glimmer from the night sky and wondered if her mother really was up there watching down on her.

She suddenly felt light-headed. And turned to look for Squall. He was far inside the ballroom talking to Irvine. She put one hand up to her forehead, which was now throbbing and held the stone balcony wall with the other.

"Squall..." She whispered

She felt the hand that was on the balcony heating up and she turned to look at it. It was glowing bright red and was melting the stone underneath it. She removed her hand in shock and it stopped glowing.

"Squall..." She said again, slightly louder.

She could feel her body trembling with fear. Soon it wasn't fear that was making her tremble. Her entire body was shaking. And not long after that, it wasn't just her.

"SQUALL!"

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"So, Squall, Sefie...she's pretty cool, isn't she?" Irvine asked, clearly very nervous

_Whatever,_ Squall thought "I guess"

"Well, I, err-"Irvine started

The whole ballroom started shaking. Everyone looked up at the ceiling, mabe checking it wasn't about to collapse, or down at the floor, possibly hoping an explanation would be written on the ground or checking for cracks.

"SQUALL"

Squall heard someone shout his name and looked around, he immediately thought of Rinoa. He looked through the throng towards the balcony. She looked panicked and... strange. He shouted her name and ran through the people towards her. Irvine followed. He stopped a few feet from the balcony entrance.

Rinoa's headed was hung down and her arms were stuck out at full length at either side. She raised her head slowly, she was breathing heavily.

"Squall..." She whispered "Help..."

The back half of the balcony collapsed from the tremors and fell down the long drop below; but Rinoa was standing in the middle, just in front of the collapsed area. Her arms were shaking violently. Squall approached her. Irvine didn't move, he watched them.

Rinoa's head snapped back and the shaking stopped after a matter of moments. Squall froze. He looked back at Irvine then turned back to Rinoa. Her arms fell limply by her side. She looked at Squall, struggling to keep her eyes open, and took deep and pained breaths. Her eyes and mouth closed as she fainted.

As she fainted she fell backwards, down the long drop behind her. Squall ran forwards and tried to catch her, but failed. He skidded to a halt, suddenly lying on the ground, and watched Rinoa fall...

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Sorry to keep ya hanging, but please review and tell me what I'm doing wrong... or right as the case may be. Or whatever! Keep reading. Until next time...


	3. Take a Deep Breath

Chapter 3 – Take a deep breath

Authors Note: I don't own Final Fantasy or it's characters, they belong to Square.

Also, thanks to xnoellex for reviewing and those of you out there who have read but have not reviewed shame on you! Lol. I dedicate this to xnoellex aka. xTidusLuvrNoellex

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Squall stared down at the falling figure that was Rinoa. The drop was long and he could do nothing to help her. Nothing to save the one he loved. His arm hung over the side of the broken balcony, reaching for her when he knew he couldn't. Squall blinked his, fighting to keep back his tears.

He could hear others behind him gasping, shouting, arguing. Time seemed to be moving ever so slowly. Rinoa was falling so slowly. He wanted to help her, he needed to help her but there was nothing he could do. He loved her so much, she was glowing.

Squall blinked his eyes again in disbelief. Glowing? He wasn't imagining it. Rinoa was actually glowing. The whole of Rinoa wasn't glowing, just her back. Two glowing shapes emerged from either side of her and spread out. Each of the shapes was about the length of an arm.

Rinoa stopped falling and hovered. Her angel wings. They had spread out and prevented her from falling to her doom. Rinoa slowly floated down to the ground. As she neared the ground, Squall could no longer see her shape because of the extreme darkness, only the glowing of her wings until they faded.

Squall leapt up from the ground and marched over to the door, the others closly behind. They shouted out for him to slow down as he headed over to the front gate but he blocked out their voices and ignored them. A rough hand grabbed his arm and spun him around. Squall stopped turning and saw Zell removing his hand from his (Squall's) arm. behind him were an angry but worried looking Quistis, Selphie and Irvine.

"Yo Squall, I get ya worried about Rin. We all are. But ya gotta relax and let us help." Zell said impatiently.

"Yeah, we care about Rinoa too!" Selphie piped in

Squall stuck out his arm and shouted,

"But she's in danger! She could be hurt!"

"Squall, we know. We just need you to relax. We can help." Quistis said calmly and softly

Squall folded his arms and stared at the floor. He considered his options for a few moments.

"...Fine. Let's go." He said finally

"I'll stay." Quistis said before anyone had a chance to run off, "I'll go wait in the infirmary. Bring her there once you find her and I'll check she's okay."

"And I'll go check up on everyone in ballroom, check no-ones hurt" Irvine added.

Squall nodded and he, Zell and Selphie began running off to the Front Gate. The

commotion had drawn everyone's attention to the ballroom so they had no trouble getting out of the Garden.

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Light, screams, terror, fear, faces. So many faces. These images clouded Rinoa's eyes. She was barely conscious. All she knew was that she was lying on her side. It hurt to open her eyes or to move so she lay still and watched these images. Trying to figure out what happened.

His face. She remembered his face watching her. She was moving away from him and his eyes were filled with sorrow. Squall... She hoped he would come for her. She _knew_ he'd come for her. She could still hear voices, but they were not ones from her memory. She heard footsteps and a shout.

"Rinoa! Wake up! Are you okay?" Said his voice

She could feel his touch on her skin and she welled up with happiness inside. She could feel him yet he sounded so far away. She could hear two other voices with him. She was so tired...

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The sun shone high up in the sky. The sky was mostly clear with only the odd fluffy, white cloud sailing across it. Most of the students of Balamb Garden were outdoors enjoying the sun while it lasted. Birds soared in the sky above.

Irvine lay on a grassy hill outside the Garden, far away from the students. His hat was tipped over his eyes. Selphie was lying on the grass with him, cuddling into his chest.

"Hey cowboy," Selphie said, lifting his hat off of his face and throwing it onto the grass a few feet away, "you're not asleep are you?" She lent in and kissed him on the lips.

"How could I possibly sleep knowing you were right next to me?" Irvine calmly answered

Selphie smiled and rolled sideways onto the grass. Irvine turned onto his side and propped his arm up on the hill so he was raised a little. He looked at Selphie and moved a strand off of her face. Her eyes reflected the suns light as she looked up at him.

He leant in towards her and kissed her neck, working his way up until he reached her lips. They put their arms around each other and kissed each other. As they kissed he ran his hands through her hair. They paused for a moment and Irvine removed his jacket. They smiled at each other and kissed again.

They pulled out and lay on the grass staring at each other. Selphie smiled at Irvine but he just looked at her. Irvine sat up and stared at the grass in front of him. Selphie frowned and knelt down in front of him.

"Irvy...what's wrong?" She asked

He looked up at her sparkling eyes.

"Sefie, I've gotta ask you something..." He said and took a deep breath.

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"A ball?" Squall repeated, looking in disbelief at the Headmaster.

He had been called up from the infirmary half an hour ago and now stood in front of the Headmaster's desk. He had wanted to be with Rinoa, who had just gotten released after the events of two nights ago.

"Yes, a ball. There will be a celebration all through Deling City." Headmaster Cid replied.

"This isn't one of Caraway's assassination attempts or plan to see Rinoa back is it?" Squall asked, placing one hand on his hip.

"No, no, no." Cid chuckled, "The new president of Galbadia wishes to promote peace, and a possible alliance, with Esthar. The ball will start off the peace talks, and President Loire requested SeeD come to both to prevent trouble. Galbadia's president had no opposition to the idea. The ball is tomorrow night. You'll fly out tomorrow morning. You can either stay at the hotel, or General Caraway offered his-"

"The hotel." Squall answered, cutting Cid off.

"Very well. The SeeDs going will be you, Quistis, Selphie, Zell and Irvine. And of course you can take Rinoa.Tell them to be waiting in front of the Garden tomorrow at 9am. You'll be taking the Ragnarok." Cid said.

Squall nodded and saluted. Cid saluted from his chair and Squall left his office.

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Rinoa sat by a pond in the Garden's grounds. It was such a nice day most of the students had left the Garden and gone off into the surrounding plains. She knew Selphie and Irvine had, she had no idea about Zell and Quistis. Rinoa swirled her foot around the pond's cool water. She had taken her shoes off and dipped one of her feet into the water. She was thinking about the ball.

"Hey," said a voice from the other side of the deep pond. She looked up and saw Squall standing there watching her, hands in his pockets.

"Hi..." She said.

She looked back into the water. She felt Squall come over and sit down next to her. He had taken off his jacket, gloves and shoes. He dipped his feet into the water too.

"Your trousers are getting wet." She said, the bottoms of his trousers were in the water too.

"I don't care... Are you okay?" He asked

"I guess...Thanks to you." She said, when he looked confused she continued, "It was because of you I held on when I ran out of strength. I wanted to see you so bad. I wasn't really aware of it at the time, but, I think I subconsciously wanted to see you so much I spread my wings without realising it."

She took of her metal chain and slid off Greiver, leaving her mother's wedding ring on, then put her necklace on again. She twisted the ring until she saw the lion carving on it.

"It took so much energy to keep myself alive. But I thought, Squall would keep fighting, no matter what, because he's strong, like this L-I-O-N of yours." She continued, fighting back tears

Squall watched Rinoa as she spoke. He saw her eyes glazing over with tears, but she wouldn't let them fall. He put her arm around her.

She had been concentrating on her words and on Greiver so much she had almost forgotten Squall was there. She was so shocked when she felt his touch, she jumped and dropped Greiver into the pond.

"I'm sorry" Squall said as they watched Greiver float to the murky bottom of the pond. "I'll go get it."

Rinoa tried to stop him, but before she knew it he had jumped into the pond after the ring. She stood up and watched the pond water. She couldn't see him.

The pond water began to settle, yet there was no sign of Squall. He had been down there too long. Rinoa looked around then leapt in the water after him. She surfaced after a few moments, he still had surfaced and she couldn't see him.

"Squall! Squall! SQUALL!" She shouted.

She frantically spun around in the water and kept taking quick looks under the water. She was about to go to the side of the pond and get help when she heard a spluttering, splashing and coughing behind her. She turned around in the water and saw Squall behind her in the water. He had just surfaced. He held Greiver in his hand.

Rinoa swam over to him and when she reached him she gave him a tight hug.

"Squall! You jerk! You had me so worried!" She said as she clung to him.

"Sorry Rin." He whispered breathlessly.

When she let go of him, he took off her necklace and slid the ring back on, and put it around her neck for her again. He kissed her on the forehead.

"I knew how much it meant to you and I had to get it." He said

Rinoa looked at him and smiled. She kissed him and when they parted he said,

"Take a deep breath."

Confused, Rinoa did so and when she had a big enough breath held in her Squall kissed her. They slid down under the water, still kissing.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

She stood in a dark, stone room staring out of her window. She held her staff with her left hand. It was made out of a light coloured knotted wood which held an emerald green orb at the top.

The room had candles on the walls and in corners which mostly lit it up. There were bookcases all along on side of the room filled with books on history, magic, science; anything she felt was useful to her. In the center of the room was a two-seater, red, leather sofa and a red, leather armchair. There was a dark coloured, oak coffee table in between the sofa and the armchair. On the wall opposite the bookcases, were two doors. In between the two doors were a large set of cupboards.

A man sat on the leather sofa watching her.

"Is everything ready for tomorrow?" She asked the man without turning from the window.

"Yes. Everything is in place and all is going according to plan."

"Good. I don't like failure or being disappointed. I hope, for your sake, nothing goes amiss."

"It won't. What about my half of the deal?" He asked her

"Don't worry. You'll get it. Only when, I have what I need. Go, get out of my sight."

He stood up, bowed and left through the door on the right, nearest the window. She continued to gaze out of the window.

"It's almost time..." She said quietly.

Her lips spread into an evil grin.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Who are these people? Oooo, you're gonna have to wait till next time! Please review!


	4. Announcement and a Letter

**Chapter 4 – Announcement and a Letter**

Authors Note: I don't own Final Fantasy or it's characters, they belong to Square, apart from my characters, they are all mine mwahaha! R&R please!

* * *

Squall, drenched, walked an equally wet Rinoa back to her dorm room. They both ignored the strange and curious glances students were casting their way as they walked through the corridors of the dormitories and stopped outside Rinoa's dorm room. They held each other's hands for a moment and gazed into each other's eyes. After a moment, Squall finally bent down a little and gave Rinoa a gentle kiss on the lips. After they parted from their short kiss, Rinoa went into her room and Squall went off to his dorm.

Rinoa quickly stripped off her wet clothes and put on her cosy white dressing gown. She took out her hair-dryer and began to dry her hair in front of the mirror. She kept replaying the kiss in the pond. Over and over again. They had stayed under the water for as long as possible, but when both had ran out of air they surfaced. They did this a few more times before deciding to get dried off. A knocking on her door jerked Rinoa back to reality. She looked at the door then back in the mirror. Her hair was dry now. She got up and opened the door.

"Hey Rin!" Said an excited Selphie, "Ooo, what happened? Why are you all wet?" She asked, seeing Rinoa's wet clothes behind her.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. What's up?" Rinoa replied, gesturing for Selphie to come in.

"Irvy and I just had the best afternoon!" Selphie beamed, lying down on Rinoa's bed with her arms spread out sideways.

"What happened?" Rinoa asked, fishing through her wardrobe for her second blue outfit.

"It was just… bliss. I'll you more later, I promise." Selphie said as Rinoa disappeared into her bathroom to change after finally finding the outfit. "How were things with Squall?"

"They were… great. Wait, how did you know I was with Squall?"

"I passed a wet Squall on my way here but he wouldn't tell me what happened. When I saw your wet clothes I put two and two together. It wasn't difficult Rin." Selphie explained.

"Oh. You ready to go to dinner?" Rinoa asked, emerging from the bathroom.

Selphie nodded and they left the room.

* * *

When Selphie and Rinoa arrived at the Cafeteria, they found that everyone had already arrived and gotten their food. They got their meals and joined them. Selphie sat next to Irvine and Rinoa sat opposite her next to Squall.

"Hey guys, Squall was just explaining 'bout tomorrow." Zell said as the two girls sat down.

"What time are we leaving?" Quistis asked

"9am sharp in front of the Garden. We're taking the Ragnarok." Squall said

"Whoo-hoo!" Selphie shouted with joy.

Several of the students looked at their table with curiosity at Selphie's outburst. But after Squall all shot them angry glares, they hastily returned to what they were doing.

"What's the ball for?" Selphie asked

"To promote peace between Galbadia and Esthar." Squall said, _great. That means Laguna'll be there._

Squall and Laguna had talked about things after the final fight with Ultimecia. Laguna had explained that he was Squall's father and about the circumstances. Squall had been furious with him for abandoning him, but on Rinoa's request had tried to patch things up with him. He was still quite angry with him though.

"Hmph." Rinoa said folding her arms. "If you ask me they should talk about Timber's independence first. Timber's been oppressed for 18 years. And nothing seems to be happening with that!"

"Hey, don't worry Rin!" Selphie said

"Yeah, I'm sure Laguna could ask about it, couldn't he Squall?" Irvine added

"I dunno." Squall said.

Rinoa lowered her gaze as the other's all exchanged glances. When Squall saw Rinoa's disappointed and sad face (and after Quistis had kicked him in the shin) he hastily added,

"But, err, I'll ask him for you."

Rinoa's eyes lit up and her frown changed into a smile. Selphie and Irvine looked at each other and smiled. Irvine nodded at Selphie who giggled excitedly.

"What? What's up?" Zell asked, looking up from his last hot dog.

Irvine put his arm around Selphie, who beamed madly.

"Well…" Irvine started

"We're getting married!" Selphie burst out.

The rest of the table all said their congratulations all at once. It wasn't long before the girl's all rushed off to Selphie's dorm to talk weddings and the men left not long after that.

* * *

Rinoa, Squall, Zell and Quistis all waited patiently in front of the Ragnarok. Rinoa was leaning against the ramp that lead into the Ragnarok, Squall was standing with his arms folded thinking deeply, Quistis was pacing back and forth and Zell was practising his moves. They were waiting for Selphie and Irvine who were 10 minutes late.

"Man, let's just go!" Zell said finally.

"We can't." Squall said

"Anyway, Selphie's the only one who knows all the controls of the Ragnarok." Quistis added.

"Tch." Zell said

Selphie and Irvine rushed out of the Garden and towards the group.

"Finally." Zell said

"Sorry we're late! We, err…" Selphie started, looking at Irvine for help.

"It doesn't matter." Squall interrupted. "Just don't let it happen again."

Selphie and Irvine nodded and they all boarded the Ragnarok. Selphie and Irvine went up to the cockpit to pilot the airship and Zell went off to one of the empty hangars (to practise his moves again), while the others sat in the passenger's seats in the room below the cockpit.

* * *

She stood in the same dark room, gazing out the window once more. The sky was clear and the wind was gentle. This wasn't what she wanted. She clutched her staff with both hands and pointed it out the window. She muttered a few words of a strange language under her breath. As she muttered these words, a strange mist began to swirl around inside the green orb on her staff and it began to glow.

One of the doors opened and the man entered. He closed the door and approached her. She stuck out the arm nearest to him and an invisible barrier stopped him in his tracks. She stopped chanting and the orb's mysterious glow began to fade. She turned to the man and gestured for him to sit. He timidly stepped forward, afraid of bumping into the barrier again. When he didn't meet any barriers he went over to the leather sofa and sat down in the middle, resting his arm on the top of the sofa. She gracefully sat down in the large leather armchair and rested the staff against the side.

"What was that you were doing?" He asked

"A spell. The day is too… _nice_ and _clear_. I wanted it dark and rainy, and now it will be." She said simply

"Why does it need to be… dark… and rainy?" He asked

"It doesn't. I just wanted it that way. Why? Do you have a problem with that?" She asked, her tone rising angrily

"No no. It's fine. I was just curious. I am sorry." He hastily apologised.

"It is fine. You're young." She said, getting up and going over the window once more, staff in hand.

_Young,_ he thought with disgust, _I am not _young_. That… that… that woman is too-_

"Watch your thoughts." She said angrily, turning to face him.

He opened his mouth to apologise but she raised a hand to silence him.

"Don't bother." She said, "Go. It's almost time for the next step. You need to get ready."

The man stood up and bowed again. She turned away as he went over to the door he came through and left.

* * *

The Ragnarok hovered in the air for a moment before swiftly landing on the ground, not far from Deling City. It only taken them about an hour to reach the city. They all disembarked and made their way to the city. They made it to the city without any major events; a few low-level monsters attacked them only to be swiftly destroyed. Not before one of them set Zell's trousers on fire and he began running around screaming. Selphie spent 10 minutes running around after him trying to put it out before finally managing to. Zell's trousers survived surprisingly well, only getting singed and frayed at the bottom.

The hopped on the first bus they found and got off outside Galbadia Hotel. Squall went up to the front desk and got their hotel keys. They had two rooms of three; the girls were all staying in one room and the boys in the other. Squall wasn't looking forward to spending the night in the same room as an excited Zell. As Squall began to turn and head back over to the others, the desk clerk stopped him.

"Excuse me, sir?" The desk clerk timidly said

"What?" Squall answered impatiently

"Is there a Ms. Heartilly with you?" The desk clerk asked

Rinoa heard this and went over to him.

"I'm Ms. Heartilly." She said.

"Ah, I have a message here for you." He said, holding out an envelope

"What is it regarding?" She said, taking the envelope and looking at it.

"I wouldn't know miss. I am not allowed to know client's private information or messages."

She thanked him and turned away, still looking at the envelope. She felt Squall and the others watching her and shoved the envelope into her pocket.

"I'll open it in the room. If it was urgent it would say so." She said and grabbed her suitcase.

They had to go up in the elevator in two groups, as they all couldn't fit in at once with their suitcases. The two rooms were on opposite sides of the same floor. The girls took the slightly larger room and they separated to pack.

As soon as they entered their hotel room, Selphie plonked herself on the end bed, the one nearest the window. Rinoa went over to the window and looked out. The hotel window had a good view of the Deling City Arch. Just seeing it brought back powerful memories of that night. The ice shards, the beasts, the bullet. Rinoa turned and looked at Selphie and Quistis. Quistis was sitting on the end bed nearest the door, leaving her the middle bed. Rinoa went over to it and sat down.

She suddenly remembered the envelope she had been given by the desk clerk. She pulled it out of her pocket, now slightly crumpled and looked at the writing on it. _Miss Rinoa Heartilly_ was written on it in elegant handwriting. She turned it over and opened it. Inside was a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and read it. It read,

_Dear Rinoa,_

_By now you will have checked into the Galbadia Hotel and are most likely in your hotel room. I must say I am disappointed that you chose not to stay with me at the house. But I understand why you might be reluctant to consider that option. _

_It would please me greatly if you would consent to join me for lunch today. It would be a great opportunity for us to catch up before the ball this evening. I doubt we will get much of a chance to talk then, which would be disappointing to say the least. You may act as if you do not know it Rinoa, but I do love you and miss you greatly, even if the feeling is not mutual. I know we have grown apart over the years, but I hope that we can sort out our differences and become like a proper family._

_If you would like to have lunch with me, then please stop by the house at around twelve hundred hours. Please come by Rinoa, it would make me very happy._

_Your father_

_General Charles Caraway_

Rinoa read, and re-read, the letter again.

"What's that Rin?" Selphie said, kneeling on the bed behind Rinoa and reading it over her shoulder.

Rinoa didn't stop her reading it. She didn't really mind if she did, it wasn't like she had anything to hide. Quistis stood up and read it over both of their shoulders.

"Ooo, are ya gonna go see him?" Selphie asked when she finished reading.

"I… I dunno." Rinoa said

Rinoa suddenly got up, giving Selphie a shock, and left the room. She walked through the winding corridors of hotel until she found the room she was looking for. She knocked on the door and waiting, biting her lower lip and looked around. When the door opened she was slightly disappointed to see Zell there.

"Oh, hey Ri-" Zell started

"Is Squall in there?" She asked, cutting him off.

"Rinoa?" Came his voice from inside the room. He emerged from the bathroom and went over to the door. Zell stood to one side then walked away into the room. "What's wrong?"

Rinoa didn't say anything, but simply handed him the letter. His blue eyes moved back and forth across the page.

"What do you think?" Rinoa asked

"I dunno." Squall said after a minute "Do you want to go?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean…I don't know what I mean. My first thought is about how he shut me out and I instantly say no. But, something deep down tells me to go and see him." Rinoa said.

Rinoa leaned forward and buried her head in Squall's chest and hugged him. Squall was unsure of what to do at first, and just held his arms out, but he soon hugged her back.

"Well, I'll be with you whatever you decide." Squall said softly.

"Okay, because I think I know what I'll do." Rinoa replied, raising her head from Squall's chest and looking up at him.

* * *

Ooo, bit of a cliff hangar here. Okay, kinda not but still. Bit boring I know but the next chapter will be more exciting and hopefully from then on it'll be exciting every time. Hopefully anyway. Please review! 


	5. Family Reunion

**Chapter 5 – Family Reunion**

Authors Note: I don't own Final Fantasy or it's characters, they belong to Square, apart from my characters, they are all mine mwahaha! R&R please! This is going to be a long chapter, so bear with me!

* * *

Rinoa walked timidly up the stone pathway to the house of General Caraway, her house. She had thought about it and changed her mind a lot, but now she was here and she wasn't going to turn back now. The house was often considered pretty by those who didn't live in it. But to Rinoa, it was stuffy, old and like a fortress. 

She walked up the stone steps and over to the large, double oak doors. She stopped in front of them and took a deep breath. Her hand was shaking slightly. She was feeling a little anxious; the last time she saw the man she dreaded to call 'father', he had locked her in a room then tried to lock her in his study and had accidentally trapped her friends.

A hand come into contact with hers and interlocked their fingers with hers and gripped tightly but gently. She looked down at the hand then up at its owner.

"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Rinoa smiled nervously.

"Thanks Squall." She replied

She turned to the doors again and took another breath. She raised her free hand and knocked three times. They waited for a few moments in silence before the door finally creaked open and an old butler answered.

"Yes? How may I- Miss Rinoa?" The old butler asked

"Yes, It's me Torano." Rinoa replied

"Why, miss. You certainly have grown up. I remember the last time I saw you; you were only up to my knee. Now look at you. I take it you're see your father miss?" He asked

"Yes," Rinoa nodded "I'm here to see the General. We're having lunch."

"Oh, I see. He did say he might be expecting company, but I never thought he meant you miss. Come in, come in." Torano said, ushering the pair into the entrance hall.

He closed the door after them and led them out through a doorway to their right. Inside this second room were two red sofas with ornate, wooden legs sitting opposite each other. Rinoa sat down on one of the sofas and Squall sat next to her. Torano then disappeared out of the room.

Rinoa leaned back against the back of the sofa while Squall looked around the room. It had bookcases against the opposite wall with a pair of double doors next to them. On the right hand wall (opposite the door) was an ornate marble fireplace with a large mirror above it. There were several pictures on top of the fireplace, and although they were too far away to actually see what they were they appeared to family pictures. There were three painted portraits on the walls too. One was of General Caraway in his military uniform and colours. The second was of Julia, Rinoa's mother, in a red similar to the one she was wearing in 'the Dream World'. And the third was a family portrait of the General, Julia and Rinoa when she was very young. Rinoa and her mother were smiling but the General looked as stern as usual.

"You okay?" Squall asked.

Rinoa looked at him, "I guess. There are just so many memories here…"

Squall placed his hand on hers and gently squeezed it for reassurance. Rinoa smiled at him. Torano entered minutes later carrying a silver tea trey. He placed it on the wooden coffee table in front of them and stood up.

"The master will be down in a moment." He said and left after Rinoa nodded.

Not long after Torano had left the room, General Caraway entered the room. Squall and Rinoa both stood up. Rinoa stepped past Squall so she was nearest her father.

"Rinoa, glad you decided to come." The General said outstretching his arms.

Rinoa reluctantly stepped into his embrace and gave him a hug.

"It's…great to see you…Father…" She managed to reluctantly say.

He seemed to be trying and seemed to have changed, so she thought she might as well make an effort. However much against her beliefs it might be. They pulled apart and Rinoa stepped back. General Caraway looked at Squall.

"Ah, you brought company." He said, sounding a little disappointed.

"Yeah, that's alright isn't it?" Rinoa asked

"Yes, yes. Of course." He replied.

Rinoa eyed him suspiciously, he definitely wasn't acting like himself.

"General Charles Caraway" The general introduced, offering out his hand

Squall looked at his hand then at him. He wasn't taking back is hand. He looked at Rinoa, who looked nervous still. Squall grudgingly shook his hand.

"Squall Leonhart." He said

"You look familiar, do I know you boy?" The General asked

"Caraway-" Rinoa said warningly

"What?" He replied chuckling slightly, "Come on Rinoa, I was only curious"

"I'm SeeD" Squall said as soon as he'd finished, they both turned to look at him. "I was the leader of the Sorceress assassination attempt."

"Yes, so you were." General Caraway said, eyeing Squall up and down. After a moment, he added "So, shall we have lunch?"

Squall looked at Rinoa, who nodded, before nodding himself. They went through the double doors, next to the bookcases, and into a large dining room. They sat down at the far end of the long dining table.

Lunch went by slowly. Rinoa was reluctant to have a conversation with her father, but since Squall didn't speak much anyway and she didn't want to listen to her father talk about work she kept up the conversation. After lunch, they all went back into the living room to have coffee.

"Squall," General Caraway said, taking a sip of his coffee, "do you mind if I have a word with Rinoa in private?"

Squall looked at Rinoa, who looked at him. After a few moments she nodded to him that it was okay. He stood up and said,

"I'll wait outside" then left the room.

Rinoa watched him go until she couldn't see or hear him any longer, then turned back to her father who was watching her.

"So Rinoa, do you love him?" He asked

The question took Rinoa by surprise

"What?" She choked out.

"Do you love him? It's obvious you're involved." He commented

"I…" She stammered, _I dunno. I don't know how I feel about Squall. Is it love? _"I…"

"I see" The General said, without waiting for her response. "I take it you're staying with them at the Garden?"

She nodded, "Yes"

"Is it big? This Balamb Garden" He asked

"I… I guess. Quite big, I think Galbadia's bigger though."

"Are there a lot of SeeDs there?" He asked, taking another sip of his coffee

"Well, yeah. Quite a lot, but most are students though." She said, looking down at her lap.

"I see. How well are they trained? What have they been taught to do?" he asked

Rinoa looked up at her father. A look of sudden realisation and anger filling her face.

"You're using me for information…" It wasn't a question; it was a fact.

"Rinoa, please, try to understand-" He started to say, putting his coffee cup down.

"NO!" She shouted, jumping to her feet. "You're trying to use me against the people that I love! You never wanted to catch up, you only wanted information!"

"Rinoa!" He shouted, getting to his feet. "They're SeeDs! Mercenaries! They'd kill someone blindly if they were paid enough! Look at the whole Sorceress affair! They're dangerous Rinoa! If we just sit back and let them carry on the way they are, they will become a dangerous force. We need to get rid of them now, before more innocent people get hurt and before the SeeDs get too…power mad."

"Just, stop it!" She cried out, "Stop trying to manipulate my mind. Stop trying to turn me against the people that I love, against my family!"

"They are _not_ your family Rinoa! They are SeeDs. _I _am looking out for your best interests, trying to protect you. I am the only family you have left. Now stop these childish games and acting like you hate me. I am your father, and I will not put up with this anymore."

Rinoa's eyes were welling up with tears of anger. "No." She said, shaking her head, "This is _no _game. Things aren't as black and white as you would like them to be. Good and bad, us and them. No. As far as I'm concerned, my father died the same day my mother did." Rinoa said, stunning her father into silence.

With that, she turned and walked out of the room. When she was out of he father's sight she brushed her tears away. She walked outside and walked to the top of the stone steps a few feet away from the door. She buried her face in her hands and started crying.

Squall had been leaning against the wall to the right of the doors when you come out of them. He saw Rinoa come out, without noticing him, and began to cry. He had heard shouting but didn't know what it was about. He walked over to Rinoa and stood next to her. He didn't know what to say so he just reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.

She had gotten such a shock when he put her hand on her shoulder that she jumped, pulling her face out of her hands. She looked up at Squall for a second before turning away, raising one hand to her face again. Before she turned away, Squall could see her eyes were red. And he could tell that she was brushing her tears away.

"Hey," She said quietly, "Didn't…hear you there"

"…You okay?" He asked

She turned back to him. Her eyes were still a little red, but it wasn't very noticeable. She nodded.

"Yeah. Come on, before the other's wonder where we are and conjure up stories." She said and they walked off.

* * *

The ball was in a large, marble ballroom in the centre of town. There were buffets and bars all along one wall and people were milling around everywhere. No music was actually being played yet. There were large floral displays and ice sculptures on the buffets and even larger ones dotted around the room. The ballroom had a glass roof, where the moon and stars could shine in. Unfortunately, a storm had gathered very quickly that afternoon and it was raining heavily. 

Rinoa, Selphie and Quistis all huddled under one umbrella and hurried into the ballroom. They handed the umbrella to a doorman who put it to one side. They all went through the marble atrium (which was just as lavishly decorated) and into the ballroom. Their mouths all fell open as they saw the room.

"Wow," Selphie gasped "It's quite a nice relief going to a ball you haven't organised" She said smiling

Rinoa and Quistis smiled at each other and they walked further into the ballroom. It was packed, until the music started and everyone moved to one side it was going to be quite difficult to find anyone. The men had decided to go before the women, claiming that they took too long to get ready.

Quistis wearing a full-length, navy blue dress with straps that came from either side and joined behind the neck. The bottom of her dress had shimmering dark blue dust on it. She had her hair tied back this time and had long silver earrings that almost touched her shoulder on.

Selphie was wearing a knee-length, sleeveless black dress on. The dress had one main layer of cloth and then several, much thinner layers on top if it. Selphie had sprayed her hair with a special spray that made it shimmer. She was also wearing her temporary engagement ring; Irvine had given her one of his rings to wear until they got her a proper one.

Rinoa was wearing a full-length, strapless dress. It was white in colour and had gold lacing at the top and at the bottom. She was wearing her chain with her rings on as usual. She had curled her hair and tied it back so she had two curls, one on either side of her face. The rest was clipped up halfway up the back of her head, so the bottom of the curls stopped behind her neck.

They walked over to one of the several drinks tables and got a glass of champagne each. They stood and watched the people milling about, looking for the guys, before finally deciding to circle around the place. It wasn't long before Zell popped up behind them, scaring them half to death. He was dressed in a posh tuxedo. He led them over to where Irvine and Squall were waiting at the side of the room, both also in tuxes. Irvine had taken his cowboy hat off and left it in the hotel room.

"My my my. Don't you ladies look lovely this evening?" Irvine said as they approached, wrapping his hands around Selphie's waist and kissing her.

After they pulled out from the kiss, he put his arm around her. Squall went over to Rinoa.

"You, err, look… great." He said awkwardly.

Rinoa smiled and thanked him, realising this was a major compliment from him. Behind him, Quistis had fallen into fits of silent hysterics and Rinoa was doing her best to stop Squall from seeing her laughing.

"Hey, Squall!" Called a voice from the side of the group.

They all turned to see Laguna hurrying over to them with Kiros and Ward trying to keep up. Squall groaned.

"Squall," Laguna said once he reached them "Later on, when you have a moment, I'd like to have a word with you. In private."

"…Whatever." Squall replied

Laguna nodded and looked at the rest of the group

"Wow, you all look very beautiful." He said.

Squall folded his arms and looked away while Irvine and Zell went slightly red.

"Apart from the men, who look handsome. Right Laguna?" Kiros corrected

"Err, right. What he said."

"…"

"Think before you speak Laguna, is what Ward means" Kiros translated

"Hey! I always think!" Laguna retaliated

_Could've fooled me_, Squall thought.

Selphie and Quistis began giggling quietly while Zell scratched the back of his head. A microphone blared out the loud pitched noise it usually does when turned on and everyone in the ballroom turned their gaze to a platform on the far side of the room. On the platform was a large, round table with several dining places set up. A microphone was set up at the front of the platform in the middle. A sandy haired man in a pinstripe suit stood in front of the microphone.

"E-excuse me, testing." He cleared his throat "Ladies and Gentlemen. I give you, the President of Galbadia." The sandy haired man announced then stepped to one side.

The ballroom burst into applause. A second man stepped onto the stage. He looked to be in his early- to mid- twenties. He had dark hair and was wearing a black suit with a black shirt on underneath. It was obvious from many of the women's reactions that he was quite attractive.

"Who is he?" Rinoa asked Squall, who shrugged

"He's Vinzer Deling's son, Ronan. He came forward after the defeat of Ultimecia and took up the presidency." Laguna whispered.

"Thank you, thank you." Ronan Deling said into the microphone. "But really, there is no need. I have done nothing of great value…yet." A few people chuckled. "But seriously. This ball is not just for me. But for the whole of Galbadia. And hopefully, the whole of Esthar too. If the President of Esthar and I can come to a peaceful arrangement, and put all the problems of the past, into the past, then we _will_ have something to celebrate. In the far off past, the continents of the world lived in peace and harmony. But differences gradually pushed them apart, and a Sorceress gave them a final nudge. But things have changed…for the better. And I say, our great nations join up once more, to build a greater future for our children, our children's children and the generations to come!"

At the end of his speech, the ballroom erupted in applause and cheers.

"Now, let the music start, the food be served and drinks be poured!" he added, which got even more applause.

Laguna, Kiros and Ward went off to join the table on the platform with some of the Galbadian delegates. There was also a delegate from Balamb, and a delegate from Trabia; but mainly there were Estharian and Galbadian officials. Squall and the others all walked off to find a table, which they quickly did and sat down. It wasn't long before Selphie and Irvine disappeared off to dance.

Squall kept casting a look up to the table on the platform every now and then. President Deling seemed fine and was having lots of laughs and fun, but Laguna was a little weary and tense. He gradually seemed to loosen up though, after a couple of glasses of wine.

Zell went up for food first with Irvine, when he and Selphie returned, only to come back disappointed because they didn't have hot dogs and he had to settle for something else. Not long after that, the song the orchestra was playing stopped and they started another one. One that they all had heard before. The Waltz of the Moon. Rinoa stood up and held out her hand to Squall. He looked at her hand, then back up at her.

"Please?" She asked.

Squall sighed and stood up, taking her hand. She beamed at him and took him to the dance floor. They began to dance. When the song ended, Rinoa frowned.

"Aww, the lights didn't dim…" She said quietly.

He frowned at her, confused. She shook her head. The orchestra got up to have a break, and sound system started to play some music.

"Hello. I'm sorry to interrupt." Said a voice from behind Rinoa.

Rinoa turned around and they both looked at the person who spoke. It was President Deling.

"I was watching you from the platform." He continued, "Well, President Loire saw you and began watching and curious I watched too. You two make quite the couple. Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me. I'm Ronan Deling." He said, holding out his hand.

Squall didn't take it, but when Rinoa discreetly nudged him he took it just at the President was about to withdraw it. President Deling turned to Rinoa, who held out her hand to do the same. He didn't shake it, but took her hand and kissed it. Rinoa blushed a little.

"And who might you two be?" He asked smoothly

"I'm Rinoa Heartilly-" She began

"Heartilly?" He cut her off, "General Caraway's daughter?" He asked

"Unfortunately, yes" She replied

He chuckled, "Ah, yes. Father's can be like that. I didn't really like my father either. I've met your father. He's… quite the character. And you are?" He asked Squall

"Squall. Leonhart. I'm a SeeD." He said

"Ah, the infamous SeeD. I suppose we'll be seeing much more of each other at the peace conferences won't we?" He said smiling.

Squall didn't do or say anything.

"Excuse Mr. President, sir." Rinoa said, taking this opportunity, "You wouldn't be gracious enough to answer a simple question for me, could you?" She asked

"Oh course Miss Heartilly, anything." He replied

"Well, I was wondering. How can you talk about new beginnings and peace with Esthar when places like Timber and still oppressed by your government?" She asked

_Rinoa…_ Squall thought, _please, this isn't the time or the place for you to take up the whole Forest Owls issue again._

President Deling looked at Rinoa, who watched him carefully. Several people around the trio had become interested and were watching the scene too, curious as to what he would say.

"Well, Miss Heartilly, if you must know. I am actually going to Timber next month to meet with some of the… 'rebel' leaders and discuss this issue. I hope we can come to an arrangement in which Timber can be…freed from… oppression, as you call it." He answered

Rinoa just looked at him, as if trying to decide if he was trust-worthy. After a minute she smiled and thanked him for answering her question. President Deling merely nodded and moved away, reaching inside his jacket pocket. Squall and Rinoa turned around to return to the table when the music ended once again and a new song sounded over the sound system. When Rinoa heard it she turned to Squall and smiled. It was Eyes on Me.

Squall put his arms around Rinoa and she put hers around him. They moved slowly back and forth, as many couples around them were doing. Rinoa moved closer to Squall and rested her head upon him. Squall was unsure of what to do and just watched her, before finally relaxing and putting his head on top of hers. As they danced, Squall could see Irvine and Selphie had come back onto the dance floor and were in a similar position.

Rinoa suddenly moved away from Squall and let out a pained gasp. Squall looked at her, confused. She was holding her hand to her chest. Her breathing was heavy and pained. She looked up at Squall and he could see she was in trouble. The lights in the ballroom began to flicker and the music was cut off. Everyone looked around in confusion. The rain continued to beat heavily against the glass roof and lighting flashed in the sky, followed seconds later by thunder. The room began to shake.

Everyone else who was on the dance floor moved around in panic and confusion and most people ran off to the side of the room. Irvine and Selphie began to move, but when they saw Squall and Rinoa they stopped and watched.

"Squall… help…" Rinoa choked out.

By now they were the only ones left on the dance floor and everyone was watching them. She winced in pain and stuck out her free side. A pillar, in the direction that her hand was pointed in, suddenly shook violently and collapsed, injuring many in the process. Squall watched the pillar collapse then turned back to Rinoa, unsure of what to do.

Her head suddenly, dropped down and her arms fell her side. She began to glow again and two white shapes began form from her back. Her angel wings. She began to slow float just above the ground. As her wings spread the shaking stopped. Squall swore under his breath and hurried towards her, determined to get her out here as fast as possible. He had only gone a few steps when a much louder crack of thunder boomed overhead, drawing everyone's gaze (apart from Rinoa's). A bolt of Lightning had struck the glass roof overhead and the entire roof was collapsing, directly over Rinoa.

Squall quickly ran forward and leaped towards her. He grabbed Rinoa, pulling her back down to the ground and out of the way of the falling glass. As soon as he came into contact with her, her angel wings disappeared. He sat up and turned to look at where Rinoa had been moments ago, then looked at her. Rain was now pouring in through the hole in the glass roof. Squall stood up and then helped Rinoa up. Irvine, Selphie, Quistis and Zell rushed over. Everyone else in the hall came over and gathered around them. Rinoa looked around in fear and confusion.

Ronan Deling stepped through the crowd and stood in front of Squall and the others. Squall gently pushed Rinoa behind him, trying to protect her. Laguna pushed his way through the crowd and stood behind Deling. President Deling had a look of absolute disgust upon his face and looked past Squall at Rinoa, then at Squall himself.

"I cannot believe this. She's a sorceress." He said, several people in the crowd gasped and began whispering amongst themselves "A _sorceress._ And you were trying to _protect_ her. You're a SeeD. You are supposed to _exterminate_ sorceresses. Not help them. She's a danger to the world. She needs to be executed."

Behind him, Squall could hear Rinoa gasp. He shook his head.

"No. You're not taking her anywhere." He said.

Rinoa smiled and looked at the back of his head. She turned back to President Deling.

"If you do not hand her over, I will be forced to take her by any means necessary." He said through gritted teeth. "If we let her roam free, she'll destroy us all! How can you not see this? She needs to be taken care of. She needs to be executed. Now. "

Rinoa blinked several times to try and keep the tears away. She couldn't take this. Being feared by everyone, it was what _she _feared. She turned around and ran towards the exit. She had no trouble getting past the mob; they all feared her so much they leapt out of her way. Her vision blurred as the tears fell.

* * *

Squall heard footsteps and gasps and turned from President Deling. He saw that the crowd behind him had parted and he barely managed to see Rinoa running off before the crowd joined up again. 

"Rinoa! Wait!" He called after her, but she didn't listen.

_Dammit,_ he thought.

He turned back to President Deling then headed off after Rinoa. He had a much harder time of following her, as the crowd were unwilling to part as easily for him. He frantically tried to push them out the way, but it did little good. Irvine, Selphie, Quistis and Zell helped and they gradually made their way to the exit.

* * *

Rinoa ran out of the hall as quickly as she could. She ran straight out into the rain without second thought. 

"Rinoa! Wait!" Squall's voice called out.

She ignored him for once and looked around for where to go. People on the street were giving her odd looks, but she ignored them and continued looking around. She saw the entrance to an alleyway to her right and ran into it. Once halfway down the alley she realised it was a dead end but she didn't care.

The alley had two large dumpsters at the bottom both overflowing with rubbish. There were darkened doorways on both sides of the alley and the rain kept on falling. Rinoa walked a little more into the alley then stopped. She leaned against one of the sidewalls and leaned her head back against the wall, crying. She was in shock. She wasn't even entirely sure of what happened back in the ballroom. It was mostly a blur. But one thing that she did know, was that her secret was out.

She slid down the wall in hysterics and buried her head in her lap. She heard a noise from the opposite side of the alley and her head shot up.

"H-hello?" She called out, "Is somebody there?" She asked

She heard another noise and slowly rose to her feet. She realised she didn't have her pinwheel. But she realised she didn't need it; she _was _a sorceress after all. She slowly crossed the alley and over to a dark doorway.

"H-hello?" She asked again as she reached the doorway. "Is somebo-" She started

A dark figure fell sideways out of the doorway and towards her. She caught the body, but the momentum meant she fell down to the ground, figure in hands. She sat up and looked at the figure in her lap. He was on his back. She rolled him over onto the ground and gasped. He was dead. There were several scorch marks on his body and a large hole wound on his chest. Someone had taken his heart.

* * *

Ooo, a cliffhanger. What will happen? Mwahaha. Sorry for this being so long, but I didn't want to split it up. The whole caraway thing was too short and boring in my opinion. Thanks for all of who you who have reviewed. Much appreciated. I'm also going on holiday on the 29th August till the 2nd September so I'll try and get something written then. I shall leave you to review... Please? 


	6. Surprises

**Chapter 6 – Surprises**

Authors Note: I don't own Final Fantasy or it's characters, they belong to Square, apart from my characters, they are all mine mwahaha! R&R please! Oh, you'll also find out who the mysterious man and woman are... Thanks to everyone for reviewing too! It's nice to know people enjoy my fic.

* * *

Rinoa looked at her trembling hands, they were covered in blood, and her dress was too. She heard several pairs of footsteps from the end of the alley and looked up.

"Rinoa! Are you-" Squall started to call out, with the others behind him, all stopping dead in their tracks when they saw the body.

He looked from the wound on the dead man's chest up to Rinoa's blood stained figure. She was in shock as much as he was. He could hear more footsteps approaching from behind but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the scene in front of him. Rinoa opened her mouth and tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come. Cold tears continued to stream down her pale cheeks.

"What is- Oh Hyne" Said a voice next to Squall.

Rinoa stared at the figure next to her knight. Ronan Deling. He had a look of shock on his face to mirror everyone else's. His face quickly changed into a look of anger. He looked up from the body and to Rinoa. He glared at her, then shot up one of his arms and pointed a finger towards her.

"She killed him! The Sorceress _murdered _an innocent man!" He shouted to the crowd gathering behind them all.

Rinoa shook her head, trying to form words to deny it, but her voice failed her again.

"She needs to be dealt with!" Ronan demanded, stepping towards her.

Squall stood in front of his way when Ronan was just a few steps from Rinoa. Ronan looked Squall up and down with utter disgust. He made to push past Squall, but Squall just put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back. Zell and Irvine stood on either side of Squall and Quistis and Selphie stood behind them. Ronan looked at them all.

"You would protect that- that- _thing_?" He asked

"Rinoa is not a thing. She's a person. And I will not let you touch her." Squall retorted

"She's a sorceress for Hyne's sake! And you are all SeeDs! You're supposed to destroy sorceresses! Not protect them!" Ronan roared

Squall said nothing. Behind Ronan, the crowd was in an uproar. All supporting the President's words. They were beginning to get angry and dangerous. Zell looked around the crowd, and then leaned towards Squall.

"Yo Squall, I think you should Rin outta here. We'll cover ya." He whispered, cracking his knuckles in preparation.

Squall nodded and knelt down next to Rinoa. She was still in shock, trembling and staring into space. Squall put his hands on either side of her and pulled her back slightly, away from the body. She didn't react to his touch. He said her name a few times, trying to ground her, but to no avail. He pulled her up onto her feet and looked for a way out. This end of the alley was a dead-end.

He helped Rinoa walk and made his way over to Zell, who was struggling with the others to keep the crowds back.

"I need to get past these people." He said.

Without turning, Zell nodded his head. With the other's help they began to make a passage for Squall to get through. Squall helped Rinoa through and hurried off down the road while the others held the mob back. They carried on walking until they were clear of the ballroom and people. He sat Rinoa down and took off his tux jacket. He put it around Rinoa's shoulders. She looked up at Squall with glazed eyes.

"Squall…" She whispered.

Squall looked at her pale face. Her eyes didn't have the vibrance and energy they usually did. They were still and hollow.

"Thank you." She whispered again.

Squall nodded in a 'your welcome' kind of way.

"C'mon. Let's go." He said

Rinoa nodded and stood up. They continued walking in silence, the rain still beating down heavily. After about half an hour of slow walking they reached the edge of town, and another 20 minutes or so to reach the Ragnarok. They climbed up the ramp and into the cockpit. They walked up to the passenger deck and Rinoa curled up in one of front seats. She quickly dozed off into a peaceful slumber. Squall stayed with her until he was sure that she was asleep, before quietly exiting the room. He sat on the stairs in front of the cockpit elevator and rested his forehead in his left palm.

The door to his left opened and Selphie ran in with Irvine. Selphie's hair had fallen out of it's usual style and fell messily over her shoulders.

"Squall! Is Rin okay?" She asked.

Squall simply nodded his head. Selphie jumped up into the air.

"I think we need to get outta here. Zell and Quistis are in the hangar, looking out for Deling." Irvine added

Squall stood up and nodded, moving away from the stairs. Selphie ran up and went up to the cockpit.

"Where is Rinoa anyway?" Irvine asked

"In there." Squall said, pointing to the passenger deck.

Irvine nodded. The Ragnarok shook slightly and hummed to life. It rose into the air and sped away from Deling City and back to Garden.

* * *

She watched as the storm began to fade away. The sky was still dark and heavily clouded though. She turned and settled herself in the large armchair. She took the glass bowl of water off of the low table in front of her. She touched the surface of the water with her index finger and the water rippled. An image began to form on the waters surface.

The image was of _them_. The image changed and she could see the red Estharian ship take off and fly away. Everything was settling into place. She waved her hand over the bowl and the images disappeared completely. She set the bowl down. One of the doors opened and he came in again. She didn't turn towards the door, but she knew it was him. He approached the armchair but stopped just behind it.

"…Everything went according to plan… They walked straight into it." He said

"I know. Good work." She said lazily

"How long before I get my-" He began to ask

"You'll get it." She snapped "But not yet." She stood up and went over to the window once more.

"I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" He stuttered.

She spun around stuck out one hand, as if to grab his neck. But he was too far away, and she knew that. She still kept her hand in its claw like form. He raised his hands to his neck, trying to grasp the invisible force that was throttling him.

"Stop grovelling you pathetic little man." She hissed, slowly approaching him. "You are no different from your weasel of a father, Ronan."

"Please- Morgana- I-" He struggled to choke out.

Morgana rolled her eyes and released him from her magical grasp. Ronan knelt on the ground, coughing and spluttering for air. After a minute or two, he stood up on unsteady legs.

"Go now. Prepare for the next phase of the plan." She said

Ronan nodded his head and made for the door, but he stopped just in front of the door and turned back to Morgana.

"May I ask, who was that man? The one you killed?" He asked quietly, afraid of her wrath.

"I don't know, nor do I care. He was just… convenient. And now I have the heart I require. Now go." She said, turning away.

Ronan nodded, bowed and left the room hastily.

* * *

Rinoa slowly blinked her eyes open. Her vision was blurry at first but quickly came into focus. She slowly sat up. She was in her room in Balamb Garden. She didn't remember coming into her room. The events of last night rushed back into her thoughts. She quickly pushed them to the back of her mind. She couldn't deal with this right now.

She went into her bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She was a wreck. Her hair was a mess, her make-up had run amok, her dress was creased and she was covered in blood. She quickly turned on the tap and washed the blood off her hands. Some of it took a great deal of scrubbing to come off. She looked down at her dress. This would never clean; it'd have to be thrown out. She took it off and jumped in the shower.

Rinoa emerged from the shower feeling a little better now. She put on her usual outfit and sat on the bed. She looked over at her digital clock and sighed. It was 9:34am. She got up and headed for the Cafeteria. She looked around and was surprised to see Squall and the others still having breakfast.

Must've slept in a little too… Rinoa thought. 

She got her breakfast from the counter and headed over to them. They looked like they were having a very serious discussion. Zell saw her as she neared and hastily whispered something to the others who all stopped talking. It wasn't hard for Rinoa to guess then what they were talking about. She took a deep breath and sat down in the free seat next to Squall.

"Hey guys." She said as she sat down.

"Hey Rin…" Selphie replied from opposite her. "Sleep well?" She asked

"Yeah, I guess." Rinoa replied.

They all sat in silence, slowly eating their breakfast. No one wanted to bring up the topic about last night but it was all they were thinking about.

"…We'll be meeting at 11 in front of the school, okay Rin?" Squall asked

Rinoa looked at them all confused.

"Why? Where are we going?" She asked.

Squall didn't answer. Rinoa looked at the others for answers.

"We're going to Esthar, to see Doctor Odine." Quistis said finally.

Rinoa's eyes widened in shock.

"What? I do _not _wanna go see him!" She said angrily

"Rin, calm down. We know." Selphie said "But Matron said it was the best thing."

"We need to know what's wrong with your powers." Quistis said

"And that Odine bloke _is _the expert on sorceresses and magic and stuff." Zell added

"…Rinoa…please." Squall said

Rinoa looked at him. _He usually doesn't say stuff like that, _she thought, _he must be really worried…_ She sighed.

"Okay." She said finally

* * *

The flight to Esthar took just over an hour. Selphie landed the Ragnarok on top of the Air Station and a welcoming party took them by car to Odine's Labs. They had to take two cars there, as they wouldn't all fit in one. Squall, Rinoa and Zell went first and the others were going to follow behind them.

An aide led them through the corridors. There were many different labs in the building, most with large glass windows that people in the corridor could look in through. As they walked past, Squall looked in through most of the windows and saw lots of scientists working on experiments, which he didn't understand. One of the rooms they passed interested Squall greatly. He stopped suddenly (causing Zell to bump into him) and stared. Rinoa and the aide turned and looked through the window too.

Inside the room, Ellone was lying on a hospital bed with her eyes closed. She had lots of tubes and wires in her and several aides were studying her and talking.

_What the hell's going on?_ Squall thought.

Squall was about to repeat the question to the aide when Zell beat him too it.

"What the hell's wrong with Sis?" He asked

"Ah, yes. Miss Loire was found unconscious about a week ago and has yet to wake up. She is in a coma. But her condition is stable. We have yet to determine what caused the coma or what is wrong with her…" He said.

Squall was only half listening to the last part he said. The aide's words rang through his mind. _She's in a coma… a coma… coma… _She looked so still and peaceful, almost hollow.

_Did Laguna know about this? _Squall thought. _Why didn't he tell me? Was that what he wanted to talk about? Why am I only finding out now? _

"Squall! There you are!" A voice called out. Squall turned to see Laguna rushing over to them with Kiros, Squall turned back to the glass. "What's taking so long? Oh-" He cut off.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Squall asked angrily without looking at him

"Squall… I'm sorry. But now isn't-"

"WHY?" Squall shouted.

Rinoa looked at his hurt eyes. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and stormed over to Laguna.

"Why didn't you tell me? She's my Sis!" He asked

"I'm sorry Squall. I wanted to tell you in person, and I didn't really have a chance at the ball. I thought it best to tell you in private. I'm sorry you had to find out like this." Laguna replied.

Squall folded his arms and looked away. Laguna looked down, unsure of what to do. He looked up at Squall, who was still looking away. Behind him he saw Rinoa watching Squall.

"Oh. Rinoa, Doctor Odine's getting angry. I think we better go." Laguna said and he turned and left with Kiros.

Zell went past Rinoa and Squall and followed Laguna. Rinoa went over to Squall and bent down a little so she could look up at his face.

"Squall…I'm sure Laguna was doing what he thought was best. I'm sure she'll be fine…" She said softly.

Squall looked at her and nodded. With that they followed Zell, Laguna and Kiros to Doctor Odine.

* * *

That's it for this chapter! That evil Ronan! Tut tut. XD . Anyway, it'll be their encounter with Odine next time and maybe a little more… Depends how long Odine takes… Please review! I love reading them. 


	7. Decisions

**Chapter 7 – Decisions**

Authors Note: I don't own Final Fantasy or it's characters, they belong to Square, apart from my characters, they are all mine mwahaha! R&R please! Thanks to everyone for reviewing too! It's nice to know people enjoy my fic. And checkout my other fics that are in the making.

* * *

Dr. Odine stood in front of the large computer panel. In front of him was a large plasma screen with two smaller screens on either side. Each of the 5 screens could be operated individually and show different data; or they could work as one and show the same thing. Dr. Odine had large bags under his eyes from the continuous work. He had been working non-stop for days now. He may have been tired, but his brain was still working on a higher level and functioning like normal. He didn't waste time thinking about it, but he assumed it must have been adrenaline or something similar.

He heard the doors whirr open and turned around to see who had disturbed his work. His heart almost jumped when he saw who was standing there. Standing in front of the door was the Sorceress. With her were two of the SeeDs who were also her companions, as well as President Loire and Presidential Aide Seagul. Dr. Odine turned back to check the monitors then went over to the group by the door.

* * *

Squall stood next to Rinoa, with Zell just behind and to the right of her. He watched Odine approach. He automatically cast a cursory glance over Odine, a SeeD trait taught early on in training. He hadn't changed that much, he looked pretty much the same as he did the last time they saw him. Squall looked over at Rinoa. On the outside she looked calm enough, but he could tell that she was terrified on the inside.

"Ah, it iz wonderful to see you again Sorceress." Odine said, managing to pull a strained and small smile.

"Enough already. Just get with it, will ya?" Laguna asked, folding his arms.

Odine sighed in an annoyed sort of grunt.

"Fine fine. I suppose you vant to know vat has been happening?" Odine asked, it was a bit of a rhetorical question but Rinoa nodded anyway, her hand shaking slightly. "First, tell me vat has been happening with you?"

"Umm… okay." Rinoa said, taking a deep breath. "Well… lately my powers have been… out of control. I sort of feel faint, then before I know it I can't control my own body and my powers go off at random. I don't really remember much; it's mostly a blur. It's pretty scary, like I'm never gonna gain control again. And… I sort of hear this voice…" Rinoa said slowly.

At this last part, Squall's interest peaked.

_Rinoa had never mentioned a voice before. Why didn't she tell me? _He thought.

"The voice says things to me, but I can't remember what. My memory blocks it out… but-" Rinoa started

At that moment, the doors whirred open once again, and in burst Selphie, Quistis and Irvine. They were all slightly out of breath, and Irvine's cheeks were flushed a little.

"Hi, sorry we're late! Did we miss anything?" Selphie asked

"Quiet! Or I vill throw you out!" Odine burst out angrily.

"Carry on Rinoa." Laguna said gently, casting a warning glare to Odine.

"But… the voice seems kinda familiar somehow. But it's not one I recognise." Rinoa continued.

"Hmm. I see." Odine said, nodding.

"So what's wrong?" Squall demanded.

"Hold on. I am getting there." Odine said angrily to Squall,

"Well get there faster!" Squall half-shouted, taking a step towards him.

Laguna and Irvine, who were closest, reached out to stop Squall from advancing upon him. Squall struggled a little under their grasp, but quickly stopped. And stood back, folding his arms moodily.

"Hmph. Well, I have a theory about why ze Sorceresses powers are out of control. But I will need to-" Odine started

"You are not running _any_ tests on her!" Squall shouted, unfolding his arms instantly. "There's _no _way I'll ever let you put her through that." Squall took a step towards Odine, but this time no one tried to stop him.

Rinoa smiled a little to herself. Sub-consciously, her hand flew to her chest and clasped tightly around Griever and her mother's ring. She just watched her knight.

"What sort of tests?" Quistis asked, Squall shot her an angry glare "I was just asking!" She added hastily.

"Simple ones. I vill just check her reflexes, magical ability and try to see if there iz anything wrong with her Sorceress powers." Odine answered, pleased someone was taking an interest and hearing him out.

"No. No tests." Squall pressed, his now back on the Doctor.

"Squall, please." The young Sorceress said softly, "I… I'll do them. If it means I can find out what's happening." She said

Squall just looked at her. He was in disbelief that _she_, of all people, was agreeing to this. He didn't show this shock however; this was one of his habits that died hard. He took a deep, but stressed, breath.

"Fine." He agreed reluctantly, clearly not satisfied "But if you do _anything_. I swear…" He said through gritted teeth.

"Yes yes. Of course." Odine said, clearly unintimidated. "Now, shall we begin?" He added excitedly to Rinoa.

"No." Laguna said, stepping forward. "Not today. Tomorrow. If that's okay with you?" He asked.

Rinoa and Squall both nodded.

* * *

Selphie jumped up and down excitedly. She and Irvine were ring shopping in Esthar. The others had gone back to the Presidential Residence, while she Irvine and Zell had gone into town. But Zell had soon gone off in search off food and a weapon shop. He was rambling about some new glove or gun or something, Selphie hadn't been paying attention really.

Esthar City didn't only have the Shopping Arcade near Odine's Lab. It also had a long street of shops, restaurants, cafés etc. In the shop window in front of her, was a display case full of all sorts of jewellery. Including a large tray full of expensive rings.

Selphie turned to a less-excited Irvine and beamed. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the shop. Once inside, she let go of his hand and rushed over to one of the display cabinets. She placed her hands on the edges and peered inside. Irvine walked calmly over to her, and peered over her shoulder.

After half an hour, and after walking around the shop so many times it made Irvine dizzy, she finally settled on a ring. It was made of two thin silver bands with lots of very tiny diamonds in between.

"You sure you want this one?" Irvine asked

"Course!" Selphie exclaimed.

"Because once I get it, that's it. There's no changing your mind." Irvine asked

"Irvy!" Selphie said, playfully whacking him on the arm.

"Geez Sefie, I was just checking." He said and went over to the shop clerk.

Irvine pointed to the case and showed him the ring. The clerk went back to the desk and fetched a metal ring with several silver keys on it. He fiddled with the keys for a moment, before unlocking the case. He gently pulled the ring out of it's soft holding's in the tray. Selphie wrapped her arms around Irvine's arm and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek; then she rested her head on Irvine's arm.

The clerk checked that was the one she wanted and took it over to the register. He polished it quickly with a white cloth, and then placed it into a black ring box. He pushed several buttons on the register then looked up at Irvine.

"How much?" Irvine asked, taking out his wallet.

"25 000 Gil." The clerk replied.

Irvine looked up, in slight shock that a ring could cost that much. Then he took out the amount and handed it over to man. He took the ring box off of the counter and slid it into her pocket.

Irvine and Selphie left the shop and into the bright sunlight of the Esthar street. Many Estharian citizens walked past them in their strangely coloured robes. Some gave them curious looks, but most just ignored them. Irvine turned to Selphie.

"Might as well do this properly." He said.

He reached into his pocket and grasped the box in his hand, as he did so he bent down on one knee. Selphie beamed down at him. He held the ring box in front of him and opened it.

"Selphie Tilmitt, will you make me the luckiest guy in the world and marry me?" He asked

"Of course I will Irvine Kinneas." She said.

Irvine smiled back and stood up once more. Keeping his gaze on her, he pulled the ring out of the box and took her left hand with his right. He slid the ring gently onto her finger, where it fit perfectly. He looked up into her emerald green eyes. She leapt up and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight hug; her left leg sticking up in mid air. When she released her grasp on him, he bent down and kissed her on the lips.

* * *

"Oh Selphie! It's wonderful!" Quistis exclaimed, holding Selphie's hand in hers.

Selphie didn't reply, merely beamed.

"It's gorgeous. Irvine's a lucky man." Rinoa added, peering over to look at the ring.

Squall stood leaning against a nearby windowsill, Laguna was standing near the giggling women, Irvine was next to the door and Zell hadn't returned yet. Rinoa felt pleased for Selphie and Irvine, glad they were settling down together. But Rinoa also felt a slight sinking feeling inside. Jealousy, maybe? She wished for something like it with Squall, but she doubted he'd ever propose.

"Must've cost a fair bit." Quistis commented, glancing quickly at Irvine, then back at Selphie.

"More than a fair bit." Irvine replied

The door opened and Kiros entered.

"Dinner's ready." He said, stepping to one side.

"Thanks Kiros. C'mon, I'll show you where the dining room is." Laguna said happily, moving towards the door.

"Err, Sefie and I were kinda gonna go out for dinner. A sort of celebratory meal." Irvine said nervously. "That okay?"

"What? Err… sure. Okay then."

Quistis looked around at the others left in the room after Selphie and Irvine rushed out.

"I guess I better go find Zell, before he gets lost." She said awkwardly, and hurried after Selphie and Irvine.

"I guess it's just us then." Laguna said, putting his hands on his waist.

* * *

Rinoa played with the last of the food on her plate. The atmosphere inside the room was so tense; it felt like she was going to be crushed. Laguna had been trying to start a conversation but Squall merely grunted or said one-word responses. At the start, Rinoa had helped the attempts to start conversation. But Squall's stubbornness persevered and they quickly died.

Rinoa felt for Squall, she knew how hard it could be with fathers. But for Squall, it was probably worse. Rinoa gave her father a hard time on purpose, exaggerating smaller facts. But for Squall… He felt like he'd been abandoned, betrayed and confused. Rinoa could partly tell this from his facial expressions, partly from the way she knew him, but mostly because of their connection. Since he was her knight, they could sort of sense each other's emotions, but not at will. Only when their emotions were very potent. She could sense how he was feeling right then.

She looked up at Laguna, who looked anxious. He was hoping everything would be fine. That Squall would forgive and forget. Little chance of that, Squall's memory was excellent. She guessed it would be anyway, after having to memorise all those Garden Codes and procedures.

"So, how's your visit been so far?" Laguna asked awkwardly

"Fine. Having to face Odine. Oh yeah, and seeing Sis like that. That was great." Squall said sarcastically, lifting his head to look at Laguna.

"Look, Squall, I wanted to tell you-"

"I bet. Why didn't you?" Squall asked angrily, dropping his fork onto his plate with a loud clash.

"Because… Because I thought it would be best to tell you in person. And I didn't get a chance at the ball because-" Laguna started.

He cut himself off, looking nervously at Rinoa. He knew this would be hard on her, the memory of that night. She was no longer playing with her food; she was just staring at her lap. Her fingers were now running themselves around the rings around her neck.

"Oh God, Rinoa. I'm so-" He apologised

"No. Don't." She said, cutting him off. "It's… okay. Really." She said, unable to look either of them in the eyes.

It wasn't okay. Not really. But she had to keep up pretences, no use worrying Squall. He'd be even more distant and impossible if he had more to think and worry about.

"Squall, I'm sorry. I should have told you." Laguna said uncertainly, after several minutes of uneasy silence.

"But you didn't." Squall said finally, and stormed out of the room.

Rinoa watched him storm off. Laguna began watching, but then watched Rinoa as she gazed worriedly after him. She had the essence of love in her eyes. Once he had left, she looked at her the uneaten food on her plate. Then she looked up and caught Laguna staring at her. She looked away awkwardly.

"Maybe I should-" She said

"No. Don't worry. He just needs a little time to cool off." Laguna said reassuringly.

This statement half-surprised Rinoa. She never thought Laguna would understand his son so much, especially since he'd spent so little time with him. It sounded like the sort of thing she would usually say about Squall; or maybe Quistis. But not Laguna. She looked up at him again, only to find him staring at her once again. She nervously brushed a stray strand of hair to one side.

"Sorry." Laguna said, half-laughing. "It's just that… you look so much like _her_. Your mother. " Rinoa's face lit up at this, but she tried to hide her joy for some reason. "So is Squall actually. I wish I could have been there, for Julia. I wish…" He looked up at Rinoa, her eyes starting to glaze over with tears. "I wish things had been different. I'm sorry."

Rinoa shook her head.

"No, really it's fine. I guess, if things had been different we wouldn't be sitting here now." She said.

Laguna smiled, "I guess you're right."

Rinoa took a final sip of her water and stood up.

"I'll go look for Squall." She said and left the room.

Laguna sat there, in silent contemplation in the empty room. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He looked at the gold wedding band in his hand. He had stopped wearing it a long time ago. But seeing Squall always made him think of _her_. He had made so many mistakes in his life, leaving the two women he cared about more than anything in the world. And then not being there in their final moments. He closed his eyes and kissed the gold wedding band.

"I'll take care of him, Raine. I love you." He whispered

* * *

Okay, that's it for this chapter. :( Sorry it took so long! But school started up a couple of weeks ago, and I've been kinda busy. Future chapters will probably take a little longer than they did earlier too. Hope you like! Please review, it's your reviews that keeps this going, and maybe I can improve the quality of it. xxx 


	8. Midnight Meetings

**Chapter 8 – Midnight Meetings**

Authors Note: Okay, I'm getting tired of writing out a disclaimer each time. From now on just remember the usual disclaimer okay? R&R please! Thanks to everyone for reviewing too! It's nice to know people enjoy my fic. Also, sorry it took so long! I started back up at school and I've been really busy.

* * *

Squall Leonhart lay on his bed in Esthar's Presidential Palace. He had his arms folded back and rested his head on top of them. He had wandered around the palace for a while, before taking a little walk around Esthar itself. He finally made his way back to the palace and to his room. It was a fairly large room. It had a king-size bed in it, a large wardrobe, a desk and sofa with matching armchair. It also had it's own en-suite bathroom.

He closed his eyes and let his mind drift off. He saw a small boy standing outside an ivy covered stone building. It was raining heavily but the boy didn't seem to care. He had scruffy brown hair and was wearing a yellow top and black trousers. He just stood there, staring at the ground.

"_Sis"_ He said softly

"_I'll be okay without you Sis …" _He continued, after a brief pause.

"l can take care of myself…" The child just stood there, talking to the cool air. 

Although the rain made it impossible to see, a small tear ran down the boys cheek. Only to be wiped away. Squall watched the boy, as if he were standing there when it happened.

_But was I really okay without Sis? _Squall thought, as the scene faded into blackness, _…No. I pushed everyone away… Turned my back on my friends… I need you… Sis…_

… **_Squall? _**A voice whispered in his mind

…_Sis? … Ellone?_

**_Squall! _**The familiar voice called out, barely above a whisper.

What's going on? I thought you were in a coma? 

I am. I mean… Squall, you don't know what a relief this is. I heard your voice. It was very quiet, and at first I thought I imagined it. But then I heard it again. Squall, I need you…

What for? 

**_I need your help. You need to find out what happened. You have to find out what she's planning, you need to stop her. _**Ellone replied, her words becoming faster and more panicked.

Her? Sis, what's going on? Who's 'her'? 

Squall. You have to stop her. I can feel her. She's coming. We don't have a lot of time, none of us do. Squall, please listen, she's-

At that moment, a loud voice roared out. Squall felt a strange force hit him and it blasted him back to consciousness. He jerked awake on his bed. He found himself covered in sweat and his breathing was short. He sat up slowly. As he moved, he could feel his chest ache; right where he had felt the force blast him out.

He put his head in his hands and closed his eyes. He ran Ellone's words in his head over and over again. He stood up and went into the bathroom. He splashed some cold water onto his face and then, putting his hands on either side of the sink, leaned on it and stared into the mirror. He was deathly white.

_Could I have dreamt it?_ He thought, _No… I can feel where that force hit me… so what's going on?_

A loud knocking interrupted his thoughts. He stared at the bathroom door, willing the door to open by itself or the person on the other side of it to disappear.

"Squall? You in there?" A slightly muffled voice called out.

Squall sighed deeply and went over to the bathroom door. He opened it quickly, surprising the person on the other side.

"What is it Quistis?" He asked

"Oh, Squall. Everyone's ready and waiting downstairs. Are you coming?" She asked

Squall looked at her confused.

"Where?" He asked

"To go see Odine." She replied, giving him an odd look, "Are you okay? You look very pale."

"I thought we were going tomorrow?" He snapped, avoiding her question,

"It _is_ tomorrow. Well, you know what I mean." She answered "I think you should lie down. You don't look-"

"I told you I'm fine" He snapped, grabbing his Lionheart and storming out of the room.

Quistis just watched him go, then once his footsteps had faded out of earshot she sighed. She hung her head low and shook it. Why didn't he open up to her? Why only Rinoa?

* * *

Squall, Rinoa and the rest of the gang sat in the lobby of Dr. Odine's Lab. Everyone was nervous, but Rinoa was by far the worst. Her feet bopped up and down on the floor and her fingers kept on flying from her lap to her mouth. Selphie leaned past Squall and pulled Rinoa's hand from her mouth.

"Don't worry, Rin. It'll be okay, we won't let anything happen to you." Selphie smiled gently

Rinoa smiled back weakly. The doors to the lab slid open and Dr. Odine stepped into the room. Rinoa and Squall stood up.

"Ve are ready to begin ze testing now." He announced then stepped back into the room.

Rinoa took a deep breath. Selphie and Quistis stood up and gave her a tight hug, both whispering "good luck" into her ear, while Zell and Irvine just stood next to her and said it too.

Rinoa pulled out of Selphie and Quistis' tight embrace. She looked up nervously at Squall. Squall looked back, not entirely sure what to do in this situation. He half-smiled back. But since this was Squall, it meant a whole lot to Rinoa. She smiled, but it quickly faded.

"Squall… I'm scared." She said quietly

"…Don't worry. I'll be there. With you." He said

Rinoa nodded and, gripping his hand tightly, turned to face the door.

* * *

When they entered the room, they found Laguna, Kiros and Ward in there already. Laguna looked up when they entered.

"You okay Rinoa?" He asked, concerned.

She put on a brave face and smiled, but Squall could feel her hand trembling in his.

"Excellent. Ve vill begin ze testing immediately." Odine said, half-giddy

"Listen," Squall said sternly, "If, in anyway, you hurt Rinoa… Then there is nothing that will stop me from doing worse to you." He threatened.

Odine ignored him, shivering inside, and turned to the monitor.

"So… What exactly do these tests involve?" Rinoa asked shakily

"Hmm? I vill first test your overall fitness and health. Then I vill examine your magical abilities and strengths. I vill also need to take some blood samples for examination, as vell as a few more… complicated procedures. It vill take several hours." Odine explained.

"Oh." Rinoa said meekly, her free hand gripping her rings tightly.

Squall gave Rinoa's hand a reassuring squeeze, reminding her that he'd be here.

"Plintok," Odine said to one of his Aides, "Please take Sorceress Rinoa to get ready."

The Aide nodded and stepped forward a little. He held one arm out towards Rinoa and the other pointing at a door to his right.

"This way please, Sorceress." He said

Rinoa nodded and walked towards him, not letting go of Squall's hand until the very last second. Just before she went through the door, she turned back to Squall and said,

"I'll be okay Squall."

And then disappeared through the door, the Aide following her.

* * *

"…We've been… unable to locate the Sorceress…" Ronan muttered nervously, scared of the wrath of the woman before him.

Morgana smiled evily.

"The mouse has fled to hidden hole…" She said quietly, almost to herself.

Ronan looked at her confused, he opened his mouth to ask what she meant when she answered the question anyway, rolling her eyes.

"She and her little… friends… have gone to Esthar. To that pathetic worm, Odine." She said with disgust.

"No matter, I'll be able to get her-" Ronan started, before being cut off.

"No! No… Leave her to her little games in Esthar. It won't help her now. Nothing will. Wait a little longer, Ronan. You'll get your chance." Morgana said

"But, why can't I just go and get her now?" He asked

Morgana laughed briefly.

"Be patient, you'll get your chance. We must wait until the opportune moment." She replied, and upon seeing that Ronan was still confused and frustrated she added "Relax Ronan, you'll get what you want, just as soon as I get what I want, and for that I need a little more time."

Morgana rose from her chair and waved her hand, dismissing him. Ronan bowed and exited through the usual door. Morgana picked up her staff and then left through the other door.

* * *

He was there again.

The little boy standing in the pouring rain, in front of a stone building covered in ivy. Water dripped off of the scruffy brown hair of the small boy.

"_Sis…"_ The boy said

"_I'll be okay without you Sis…"_ He continued

_Sis… _Squall thought as the scene faded once more, _Where are you?

* * *

_

Squall jerked awake. He had had that dream again. After he had hoped he would talk to Ellone again, but nothing had happened. The tests had been going on for a while and Squall was struggling to keep his eyes open. Laguna had suggested he go back to the Palace and rest but Squall refused. Instead he ended up napping on some of the chairs in Odine's lab.

Squall slowly stood up and went back over to Laguna, who was still watching the tests. They could watch the tests from above through the blue window in Odine's lab. Laguna looked at his son as he came over. He still looked pale.

"You okay?" Laguna asked

Squall ignored his question.

"How long have I been asleep for?" Squall asked, watching Rinoa intently

"An hour and a half."

Squall watched as Rinoa underwent Odine's tests. Her raven coloured hair flowing about her as she cast magic. After finishing one of her spells, and while Odine wrote down some notes on a clipboard, she looked around the room bored. She saw Squall watching her from upstairs and smiled. Squall almost smiled back with relief. Rinoa's head snapped back to Odine as he began snapping at her for not paying attention.

* * *

Many hours later the tests finally ended and Rinoa trudged back upstairs to Squall, exhausted. Odine wanted to keep them all here for another couple of hours while he analysed the results, but Laguna wouldn't hear of it. Once back at the Presidential Palace Squall carried Rinoa upstairs and put her straight to bed. She stirred a little when he put her on the bed.

"Mmm… Squall?" She said quietly, rubbing her eyes

"Yeah, It's me." He replied

"Everything okay? You look kinda pale."

Squall was tempted to tell her about his conversation with Ellone. He wanted to confide in her, tell her what he thought and how he felt. But he couldn't. He didn't think she would understand.

"…Fine." He said finally.

Rinoa nodded, she could tell he wasn't telling her the truth. He still couldn't be open with her. But she was too exhausted to take him up on it now. Baby steps. In the morning.

"Squall… Lie with me? Just for a little while?" She asked

Squall hesitated for a minute before lying down on the bed and holding her in his arms.

"…Thank you… For everything." Rinoa whispered and turned over onto her stomach so she could face him.

"…Your welcome." He said after a minute.

Rinoa leaned forwards and kissed Squall quickly and gently on the lips. They looked into one another's eyes, losing themselves in each other. They quickly leaned in and kissed each other passionately, Rinoa running her hands through Squall's hair while his hands danced up and down her back.

Their lips barely parting, Rinoa sat up and put on leg either side of Squall's. Rinoa helped Squall remove his jacket and then put her hands on either side of his face. Squall removed his gloves behind Rinoa's back while their tongues twirled and danced in their mouths. As soon as he removed his gloves, Rinoa grabbed the bottom of his white vest top and lifted it slowly, their lips finally parting so she could lift it over his face.

The cool metal of his Griever chain hit his skin as the top was removed and thrown across the room. He undid the fastenings on her buster and she slid it off, discarding that also, as well as the arm things on her lower arm. Rinoa took off her black top and then her lips leapt onto Squall's once more. As they kissed Squall kicked his shoes and socks off; as did Rinoa.

She sat up once more and began undoing his belts whilst he unzipped her shorts. Once the belts were undone and discarded, she removed her shorts while Squall slid off his trousers. Their bodies yearning to feel the hot touch of the others quickly brought them back together and they were kissing in just their underwear. Their noses grazed each other's as their lips swallowed each other and their tongues tangoed. Their bodies were warm to each others touch and they could bear to move away or part their lips for longer than they had too.

Squall's hands ran up and down Rinoa's back, passing over her bra many times. One time he stopped his hand from passing over the bra and undid the clasps on it. Rinoa dropped the bra over the side of the bed and pulled down the last of her underwear, while Squall did the same. Then they leapt onto one another's steamy bodies once more, no more reason to be parted.

* * *

OOOO! Squall! Rinoa! Eeee! Haha, sorry it took so long, but I've been quite busy with school and stuff. Anyway, this one's done and I promise I'll try not to take as long with the following chapter! Reviewers review! 


	9. Test Results

**Chapter 9 – Test Results**

Author's Note: I got loads of reviews for last chapter; glad everyone enjoyed it so much.

* * *

The morning sunlight filtered in through the windows and onto the bed. Bird's sang merrily in sky and fluffy, white clouds floated across it. Rinoa blinked her eyes open slowly, the bright sunlight hitting her eyes from the window. She stretched her arms and rolled over, wanting a little more sleep. She saw Squall lying there and blanked, noticing she was also naked. It took her a moment to remember the events of last night, the intimacy they had shared together. 

She gently stroked the side of his head, moving one of his bangs off of his face. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep, the troubles he carried with him lifted off. He reacted to her soft touch and slowly opened his eyes, smiling when he saw her.

"Morning." She whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment with proper speech.

"Morning." He replied.

"How are you feeling?" She asked

"Fine. You?"

"Brilliant." She answered, unable to hide the giant smile that spread across her face.

Rinoa leaned towards him and kissed him, resting her hand on the side of his face as she did so. They pulled out at the same time and just stared blissfully at one another. The minutes ticked by, seeming as if they lasted for an eternity. The moment was ruined by a knocking on the door. Rinoa and Squall bolted upright, Rinoa holding the thin bed sheet over her exposed breasts.

They stared at the door, hoping they both imagined it. Rinoa turned to look at the clock. It read _9:03 am._ The person on the other side of the door knocked again.

"Oh Shit!" Rinoa exclaimed, leaping out of bed. "That'll be Selphie! We said we'd go down to breakfast together!" She added, throwing on her clothes.

Squall hurried out of bed and threw on his boxers. He grabbed his trousers and was about to put them on when Rinoa hurried over.

"There's no time! You're gonna have to hide in the bathroom!" She said as he grabbed his remaining clothes off of the floor and hurried into the en-suite bathroom.

Rinoa threw on her blue duster and surveyed the room. She grabbed one of Squall's socks that he hadn't seen and opened the bathroom door, threw it at him and closed the door again. There was another knock on the door and Rinoa rushed over and opened it.

"Hey Rin. You read- Woah! You okay? You look terrible!" Selphie exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't sleep all that well. Why don't you just go on ahead and I'll be down in a minute after I have a shower and change." Rinoa suggested, wanting Selphie to go.

"Why don't I just wait-" Selphie started, beginning to move into Rinoa's room.

"No!" Rinoa exclaimed, putting her hand out to stop Selphie, "I mean, no. It's fine. I'll just meet you downstairs. Okay?" Rinoa asked

Selphie eyed her suspiciously for a minute then nodded and headed off. Rinoa closed the door and leaned against the back of it. She tilted her head back and sighed, closing her eyes and sliding down the door. Squall slowly opened the door, and peered out cautiously.

"Is she gone?" He whispered

Rinoa opened her eyes and looked at him. She nodded and got up. Squall smiled a little and went over to her. As soon as they reached one another they kissed. They parted and Rinoa noticed that Squall had put everything on bar his jacket and gloves.

"I better go." He said finally.

"Yeah." She agreed as he moved past her, "I'll see you at breakfast." She added just before he opened the door.

He nodded and cautiously opened the door. After checking there was no-one around he slipped out of the room and quietly closed the door, heading back to his own room. After a quick shower, Rinoa went downstairs to breakfast.

* * *

It was 11am when the group arrived at Odine's Lab for Rinoa's test results. Odine wanted to only speak with Rinoa, but she wouldn't go with Squall and the others wouldn't let them go alone either so he ended up having to tell them all. 

"I tested ze Sorceress' powers vigorously, trying to find ze cause of her loss of control of body and power. I performed as many tests as I could to accurately find ze cause." Odine began

"Can you hurry it up a little?" Zell interrupted

Odine ignored him and continued.

"Her overall health was fine, no problem there. Her magical abilities were superb, although, her accuracy was a little off. But still very good. However, I noticed zat with more powerful ze spell ze Sorceress cast, ze more her magi-count-" Odine was cut off

"Magi- what?" Zell asked.

Odine rolled his eyes.

"Magi-count. Inside every person, zere are… particles, I suppose you could call zem, zat regulate how competent ze person vill be with magic. Ze more zey have, ze better zey vill be. An average person has a count of between 1200 and 1600. A Sorceress, however, usually has a count of around 5000. Although zis is harder to verify because of ze lack of Sorceresses to examine by myself and my predecessors. Sorceress Rinoa's magi-count fluctuated to dangerously higher levels with more potent spells. But I cannot compare whether this is unusual or not because of the lack of Sorceresses to study once again." Odine explained.

"So nothing's wrong?" Quistis asked, Rinoa and Squall exchanged excited expressions.

"No, I did not say zat." Odine answered, destroying the happy atmosphere that had been building. "I noticed zat something was amiss ven I examined ze Sorceresses blood sample. I discovered that her DNA had been temporarily distorted and vas in ze process of fixing itself. Something, or someone, had altered her DNA temporarily, causing her to lose control of her body and her Sorceress abilities, allowing zem total control. Zis is vat caused the problems in Galbadia and Balamb. However, once the person manages to break into ze DNA like zat, which is not easy mind you, zey vill find it continually easier to repeat ze process and gain control." Odine told them.

Rinoa looked up at Squall, saddened and worried.

"I can, however, insert a substance that may regulate ze amount zat ze Sorceress can be controlled. It vill also make it harder for ze other person to tap into her DNA." Odine continued

"So we can just do that then." Squall said, looking up from Rinoa to Odine

Odine took a deep breath before speaking.

"Yes, we could. However, there vill be some side-effects. Ze Sorceress may feel weary until she gets used to ze substance in her. She vill also have to have daily injections for two weeks to make sure ze substance holds and then return here to check her body has not fought it off." Odine replied

Rinoa cringed. She hated needles. Squall interlocked his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand reassuringly. They looked at each other, giving the other supportive messages in their minds not caring that the other couldn't hear them.

Odine approached Rinoa with a needle full of a glowing silver-blue coloured liquid inside, swirling around. Rinoa eyed the needle nervously, her grip on Squall's hand sub-consciously tightening. She felt tempted to turn tail and flee, were it not for the warmth she could feel from Squall's heartening and loving eyes on her; letting her know he would be here for her.

"You may feel a little nauseous…" Odine said quietly, pointing the needle towards her arm.

He pushed her blue arm cloth out of the way and looked for a vein to insert the needle into. He found one three quarters of the way up her lower arm, near to her elbow. Rinoa eyed the needle, almost shaking in fear.

"Watch me." Squall said, releasing her hand and standing behind Odine.

Rinoa watched Squall for what seemed like an eternity. Gazing into the pools of blue that were his eyes, examining the shine of his brown hair, the curves of his face, the scar he had had for a year now.

"All done." Odine said and moved away

Rinoa watched him as he moved away and then looked at back at Squall. A strange feeling suddenly welled up inside of her and the world seemed to spin rapidly out of control, not alarming anyone but her. She felt herself falling into the soft grasp of gravity and the feeling of lightness.

Squall saw Rinoa's hand reach up to her forehead just as she began to fall. He rushed forward and caught her before she had even fallen half of the way. Her eyes flickered open and closed several times before she finally regained her senses.

"Squall…?" She said faintly.

She suddenly turned and threw up on the floor, everyone leaping out of the way. She thankfully missed anyone's feet and then turned back to Squall, fainting in his warm embrace. Squall lifted her up into his arms and began to move out of the lab, the other's following behind.

* * *

They moved down the corridor when they reached Ellone's room. Squall slowed to a stop and looked through the glass, then down at Rinoa's sleeping head upon his shoulder. He turned to Irvine and passed the Sorceress into his arms. 

"Go take Rinoa back to the Palace and get the Ragnarok ready to go back to Garden." Squall said

They nodded and carried on down the corridor. Squall waited until they were out of sight before turning back to the glass window. He slowly opened the door next to the window and entered the room. He closed the door quietly, even though he knew the noise wouldn't disturb the room's occupant. He slowly went over to the bed and sat down on the chair next to the bed.

He looked at the still figure of his sister. Her hair did not have it's usual shine, her skin was pale and her lips pale and dry. She should have looked peaceful, as if sleeping, like Rinoa did. But she didn't. Her brow was slightly furrowed, giving her a deeply troubled expression. Squall shakily reached forward and gently lifted her cold hand, trying to ignore the wires and tubes that went into her skin.

He held her hand with both of his and held it close to his mouth, placing his elbows on the bed. He sat there for a long while, just watching Ellone sleep.

_But she isn't sleeping, is she?_ Squall thought, he couldn't bear to see his only sister like this.

"Sis… please… wake up…" He said, fighting back tears.

He lowered his head so his hands touched his forehead instead of his mouth and closed his eyes.

"I need-" He said quietly, being cut off by the opening of the door.

"Squall?" Said a voice, popping their head around the door.

"Come in Quistis." He said, irritated.

"The others are ready to go, and Rinoa's fine. I just talked to Dr. Odine, he said it was natural for the first few days, until her system gets used to it." She said, closing the door behind her.

"…Okay." He said, "Let's go." He said and walked out of the door.

Quistis watched him go, then looked at Ellone for a minute, then left the room to catch up to him.

* * *

Sorry it's so short, but I have a lot of schoolwork right now, and I'm sure that some of you do to. At least it's up faster than the last chapter! I think… yeah… Anyway, reviewers review! Good or bad, I don't mind bad ones because I accept constructive criticism and good ones make me smile. 


	10. Books, Battles and Briefings

**Chapter 10 – Books, Battles and Briefings**

Author's Note: I know the last couple of chapters have been kinda boring but it's gonna pick up soon!

* * *

Rinoa closed her eyes tightly and looked away as she sat on her bed. She bit her lip anxiously.

"All done." Said a voice in front of her.

She opened one eye slowly and relaxed, opening her other eye. Squall was putting the needle away. She had tried to do the injections herself a couple of times, but she couldn't. She was too terrified. Squall had almost laughed a little when she had come to him, unable to do it. He wasn't scared of needles; he didn't really get how she could be.

It had been a week since they had arrived back from Esthar. Rinoa had finally gotten over her fainting spells – for the first few days she had become light-headed or fainted after her daily injections. Rinoa looked across at the clock on her bedside table.

"Squall, don't you have that Gunblade training thing now with the Juniors?" She asked, Squall looked across at her clock.

"Oh shit. I forgot. See ya Rin." He said, kissing her quickly and bolting for the door.

He was out of the door and gone before Rinoa could say anything.

Rinoa looked around her room for a moment, hoping to see something to do. The others all had classes or SeeD duties to perform, but not her. She had nothing to do.

* * *

Rinoa entered the Library and headed over to bookcase opposite the entrance, waving the Librarian on duty. Rinoa bent down and picked up a thick, dark green, leather bound book. She went over to the reading tables at the far end of the room and sat down at the end.

On the front cover, in elegant gold writing was the title: _'A Detailed History of Magic and Sorcery by Alaric. J. Coburn'_. Rinoa carefully opened the old book. It had been written many hundreds of years ago, and updated since then by several others who had added their names on the front page. But for the last 150 years no-one had bothered.

Rinoa had been reading up on the Sorceresses before her in the last couple of months whenever she had little else to do. But in the last week she had been reading it avidly. Rinoa didn't check it out, for fear of Squall or the others finding out. She wasn't sure why she was afraid of them finding out exactly, she just…. Was.

Rinoa opened the book to the page she had stopped at the previous day. Rinoa re-read the page she had stopped at yesterday to refresh her memory. Rinoa was nearing the end of the book, but there were many blank pages left in the back. Rinoa looked at her watch and sighed. She committed the page she was on to, to memory. It was about Sorceress Adia, who lived around 200 years ago. Rinoa closed the book and headed over to the bookcase.

As Rinoa bent down to put the book back on the second-to-bottom shelf, the Librarian on duty called out to her. He was a 16-year-old student who was a good fighter and battled with twin daggers. He had dirty-blonde hair, which was tied back in a ponytail, but some of it was too long to be tied back. Rinoa had heard that he had great potential, the same sort of thing they had said about Squall.

"Excuse me, Miss Heartilly?" He said, Rinoa stood up and went over to him, book in hand. "Umm, you've been in here all week reading that book and I was going to say, why don't you check it out of the Library? You'd be able to read it more - when the Library is shut and stuff."

"Err… No. It's fine, really." Rinoa said, "… Squall hates me reading stuff like this. If he saw the records-"

"No-one sees the Library records apart from Library personnel. Unless there is a problem, like stolen volumes. But that hasn't happened in years. Do you want to check the book out?"

Rinoa looked from the boy, to the book and back again.

"I guess it can't hurt." She said finally.

The boy scanned the barcode on the inside of the book and gave it to Rinoa, just as the intercom blared out across the sound-system.

"_Could Squall Leonhart urgently report to the bridge, _

_I repeat, _

_Could Squall Leonhart urgently report to the bridge."_

_What the…?_ Rinoa thought, rushing out of the Library.

* * *

"What's happening?" Squall asked immediately as the elevator reached the top.

"Galbadians, sir!" Answered the assistant pilot.

Nida had trained some of the other students as pilots to take the load off of him. At least one pilot had to be on the bridge at all times in case of trouble. The pilot on duty now was the second-in-charge pilot, after Nida. She was called Aviva.

"What? Where?" Squall asked, the elevator disappearing down again

She handed him one set of binoculars and pointed out to sea.

"There, sir." Aviva answered, "There's at least half-a-dozen military vessels and what appears to be a diplomatic vessel behind them sir. What shall we do?"

Squall crossed his arms, deep in thought as the elevator came up again.

"Squall? What's going on?" Rinoa asked, fastening the catch on her shoulder bag.

"Nothing." He answered, turning to face her.

She stepped up to him, looking at his face carefully.

"You never could lie to me very well. What's really going on?" She asked, worried

"… Galbadians." He answered

Rinoa's eyes flashed with fear and her hand immediately went up to grasp her rings.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." Squall said, gently grabbing her upper arms and focusing her attention on him.

Rinoa watched him for a moment, then nodded. He nodded back.

"Let's go see what they want." He said and stepped on the elevator.

They travelled down onto the level below and found the others waiting.

"Took ya long enough!" Zell said impatiently.

"Yeah! We thought you'd be up there all day!" Irvine agreed

"So what are we doing?" Quistis asked

"Going elsewhere. They are here for me, I don't want any of you getting hurt." Rinoa said, not waiting for Squall.

They all opened their mouths to disagree, but Rinoa didn't let them.

"No. That's it. If any of you got hurt because of me… I don't know what I'd do." She said quietly.

"Hey, we're here for you. No matter what. We aren't gonna let anything happen to you Rin, you're our friend. Sorceress or not." Selphie replied "We aren't gonna leave you to face these guys alone."

Rinoa gave in and nodded.

"Right, let's go." Squall said

"Oh no! I forgot my Shooting Star! I've gotta go get it!" Rinoa gasped, running off to the elevator and taking it down before the others could catch up.

* * *

Rinoa rushed into her room and threw her bag down onto the bed. She opened the trunk at the foot of her bed and took out her Shooting Star. She looked around her room and went over to the door, just as she heard a low rumbling outside the Garden. She turned and went over to the window and opened the blinds. Looking up she could see a Galbadian vessel hovering outside, and a second near to it.

_They must be surrounding the Garden, cutting off all chance of escape…_ She thought.

Rinoa remembered going on military vessels like that a lot when she was little, after her mother died. She couldn't help but wonder if her father was on one of those vessels now…

If the Garden didn't give in to their commands, they come in using force. And if they still refused… they'd probably obliterate the Garden entirely. She couldn't let that happen. Rinoa started to come up with a plan, and she gathered the stuff she'd need.

* * *

Squall and the others waited at the Front Gate for the welcoming party. Rinoa still hadn't returned from getting her Shooting Star and Squall was beginning to worry. Aviva was in regular contact from the Bridge, informing them on what the ships were up to and the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) of the committee. But the group just needed to look up to see what the ships were doing – the Garden was surrounded.

"_The Galbadians will be with you any moment sir. And the military vessels keeping flashing their cannons at us sir, I think they are warning us not to disobey."_

Squall lifted his radio up to his mouth and said,

"Thank you Aviva. Is Xu there yet?"

"_Yes, sir." _

"Good. Make sure the students are in place and prepped. Squall Out."

Just after Rinoa had run off, he had gone up to the bridge and given the students orders to be prepared for battle then headed for the Front Gate. He fastened the radio onto his belt and waited. The air was heavy with tension.

Squall was just contemplating going to find Rinoa when the Galbadians arrived, lead by Ronan Deling.

"So, this is the infamous Balamb Garden… It's very nice Commander Leonhart." Ronan said, looking up at the Garden, his voice sounding casual.

Squall remained silent, arms crossed but ready to grab his Lionheart at a moment's notice.

"You know it's rude not to answer a President."

Squall still didn't answer.

"Yes, so where's the Sorceress?" Ronan asked, his voice full of malice now.

"Safe."

"She needs to be taken care of. She is a major threat to the world. She can't be left free to do whatever she pleases. She could kill-" Ronan started, before being cut off.

"She wouldn't. She wouldn't kill anyone." Squall interrupted.

"Just like that man in the alley?"

"She didn't kill him."

"And I suppose she wasn't the one that nearly destroyed everyone in that ballroom, yourself included."

"That… That wasn't her fault. She's better now, that's not gonna happen again."

"How can you be so sure? What makes you so confident?" Ronan asked

"Because… Because I'm her Knight." Squall replied

"What! Her Knight! Excuse me if I'm wrong but SeeDs are supposed to _kill_ Sorceresses! Not protect them and become their Knight! You of all people should know this; Commander!" Ronan spat.

Squall looked away.

"Hand her over. Now. Or we will have to take her by force." Ronan said

"No way!" Selphie shouted.

Irvine muttered under his breath to calm her. Ronan looked Irvine up and down.

"Aren't you from Galbadia?" Ronan asked him.

Irvine looked up from Selphie to Ronan and nodded.

"So you're betraying your own country?" Ronan asked

"This is where I belong." Irvine answered, gripping Selphie's hand tightly yet reassuringly.

"Hmph. Just remember, traitors can be punished by _death_." Ronan said finally before turning back to Squall. "Now give me that Sorceress."

"No."

"Fine. Arrest him until we find his little Sorceress." Ronan said to the guards without turning.

Squall and the others pulled out their weapons and got ready to fight. The guards pulled out their weapons to and approached the group. There were about half a dozen guards.

"Squall!" Xu shouted, running out of the Front Gates.

"Not now Xu!" Quistis called to her friend

"I need to talk to Squall" Xu said as she reached the group.

"Xu, later." Squall said, not turning around

"But Squall… It's Rinoa." She said.

Squall lowered his weapon and turned to face Xu, just as Ronan signalled to his guards to stop their approach.

"What's wrong?" Squall asked

"She's gone."

* * *

Bit of a cliffie there! Gonna have to wait until next time! And this chapter didn't take that long to put up. Well… I don't think so anyway. There will – hopefully – be some real action next time. Reviewers Review! 


	11. Journey

**Chapter 11 – Journey**

* * *

The island of Balamb was very beautiful and picturesque on an average. The sun normally shone brightly in the sky and everything was quiet and serene. But today, ominous dark clouds had rolled in when the Galbadian ships had come and the tension between the ships and the Garden hung in the air and could be felt by all. Some of the shakier residents of the town of Balamb had packed their things to flee as soon as the airships had appeared. The trains leaving the town were full of scared residents. It was on one of these trains that Rinoa Heartilly sat as that of the underwater tunnel replaced the view of troubled Balamb.

Rinoa sat by herself, next to the window, fidgeting with her fingers. At the time this had seemed like the most logical solution, but now she was actually carrying out her plan she couldn't help but feel as if she was running away scared. She had left the others to deal with Ronan and all the other mess she had left behind. She hadn't thought of it as running away before.

_I'm protecting them…protecting them…_ She thought

She looked up at the clock on the train wall and sighed. Someone would have noticed her disappearance by now and alerted Squall. He was probably tearing around looking for her.

She reached into her bag and took out a slightly crumpled picture of the gang. It had been taken just after the defeat of Sorceress Ultimecia, at the old orphanage. They all stood together in front of the flower field next to the old stone building. Squall had been reluctant to be in it but after encouragement from them all, (and Rinoa literally pulling him into the shot), he agreed. She lightly ran her finger over the image of Squall and whispered,

"I'm sorry…"

* * *

Squall rushed up to the bridge, a look of anger mixed with worry on his face. Ronan Deling heard Xu announce Rinoa's departure to the SeeDs and then retreated to his ship, sending some soldiers to search the whole of the island for her. Squall went up the elevator with Quistis and Zell, eager to reach the top.

"What happened?" He demanded angrily as soon as the elevator reached the top, rushing towards Nida and Aviva.

Nida and Aviva saluted, along with Xu had rushed on ahead of him.

"Sir, we don't actually know-" Nida began

"What!" Squall yelled

"Well, sir, with the Garden on attack warning and the students running to their positions, Rinoa could have easily slipped through the throng and out of the Garden." Aviva finished

"How much of a head start does she have?" Squall asked, crossing his arms

"We estimate that she left the Garden sometime in the last half-hour." Nida said

Squall sighed, that hadn't been much use. It had been 40 minutes since she had gone to fetch her Shooting Star. She could be anywhere.

"When did the last train leave Balamb?" Squall asked

"The last train left Balamb Station 10 minutes ago bound for Dollet Station. It is possible that she was on it. From Dollet's new train station she could catch a train anywhere in Galbadia." Aviva reported

"…" Squall didn't answer, he already knew that she could go anywhere from Dollet.

She could take a train to almost anywhere in Galbadia or even the night train to Trabia or even a boat there. There were regular bus services too. One of the things Ronan vowed to do during his Presidency had been to increase the public and international transport systems which he had done almost immediately.

"Shall we contact the Dollet station to be on the look out for her?" Nida asked

"… When does the next train leave?" Squall asked, ignoring his question

"The next train bound for Dollet leaves in an hour. But there are others to the continent before that one." Nida answered

"Where?"

"A train for Deling City leaves in 10 minutes and a train for Timber in 20."

Squall turned and went over to the elevator.

"Sir, what shall we do about the Galbadians?" Xu asked

Squall stopped for a moment, suddenly remembering his duty.

"Quistis…" Squall said

"I'll take care of it. I'll radio if there's a problem."

Squall took the elevator down without a second thought about it.

In the bridge, Zell and Quistis cast each other worried looks.

* * *

Rinoa looked around Dollet's train station. After the Second Sorceress War, and after Ronan ascended to Presidency, most cities and towns built train stations all over Galbadia and a few in Trabia. Squall and Laguna had made sure that Winhill was left untouched. She hadn't been before and marvelled at how modern it was and how large.

Rinoa slung her heavy bag over her shoulder and walked out of the station. She was getting a connecting train in 20 minutes and was going to have a quick look around the town first. The train station was near to the beach so she was there in a couple of minutes.

The remnants of X-ATMO92 had been cleared and a few parts had been put on display in the Train Station, for some strange reason Rinoa couldn't comprehend. She would have though that they would have wanted it gone, not kept as a memento of a bad time.

Rinoa slung her bag of her back and sat down on the beach, watching the waves crash in and out. Her thoughts drifted back to what the exam must have been like for Squall, Zell and Selphie, and how it must have felt being chased by a giant robotic spider.

_Squall… _She thought, _I'm sorry to have left like this… but I wanted to protect you… please… understand… this is something I have to do…_

She sent out her thoughts to him, knowing he would never hear her.But thinking that it would somehow make what she was doing feel… right. She looked at a clock on the path just above the beach and got up. Her train would be leaving in just over 5 minutes. She picked up her bag and went to catch her train.

* * *

Morgana was in her potions room, mixing her ingredients together. She had the heart of the dead man in a jar on the shelf on the wall. The very dead man she had had Ronan blame Rinoa for. The potion took several days to mix properly and she had each ingredient several hours after one another.

She dropped in the scale of an Iguion and mixed the potion with a lare metal stirring spoon, specially crafted to withstand the most extreme conditions of potion making. Intense heat, intense cold, contracting solutions, solutions that turned hard. She dropped in another scale and sharp bang sounded, along with a puff of purple smoke emerging from the dark green potion.

A green orb by the door of the potions room began to glow and Morgana knew she had company waiting for her. She left the room, locking it behind her, and made her way down the dark stone corridor. When she reached the end of the dimly lit corridor she opened the large, dark Rosewood door and entered her parlour room. The parlour room also led onto the exit for her guests. As she entered the room, she saw who she least expected.

"Ronan!" She hissed, slamming the Rosewood door shut.

"Morgana." He said, bowing slightly

"What the hell are you doing here! You should be capturing the little Sorceress!"

"I was, but she fled. Leaving her little Knight in the dark as to her plans. My soldiers are searching the island for her." Ronan said, proud.

"You fool!" Morgana hissed, Ronan's pride quickly evaporating, "If she ran away from the protection of her friends she wouldn't have remained on the island! She's gone to Galbadia!"

"O-Of course, Morgana, I came here to update you on my progress before beginning the search on Galbadia."

"Get out of my sight you little worm and find her!" Morgana bellowed with unnatural volume.

Ronan bowed again and rushed out of the room. Morgana glared after him.

"So you're trying to protect them…" Morgana whispered to herself, waving a hand over the green orb on her staff so an image of Rinoa appeared, "Commendable. But for my plan to work, you need to go back to your little knight." As Morgana said Knight an image of Squall replaced that of Rinoa, "Go, little SeeD, while you can…" Morgana let out a quiet yet evil laugh.

* * *

Squall sprinted down the main road of Balamb Town and to the Train Station. He skidded to a halt, surprised at what he saw. A small figure with short brown hair was leaning against the train station wall in an uncharacteristic position. She had her arms crossed and the leg facing Squall was bent up so her foot was flat against the wall right next to her other knee. She looked up as Squall came skidding onto the scene.

"What are you-" He began

"Doing here?" She finished for him, "You can't do this on your own Squall. We all care about Rin too." Selphie said, standing up straight.

"But…" Squall began, trying to find the end of the sentence in his brain

"But what?" Selphie said, grinning

"But… why?" He asked

"Because that's what friends do." Selphie stated.

Squall looked at her for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment.

"Now c'mon, the train's about to leave! I already got us tickets." Selphie said happily, "Let's go get Rin!"

Squall and Selphie ran into the train station, and boarded the train just in time. The warden was about to signal to the driver to leave when Squall and Selphie arrived. Once on the train they found two pairs of empty seats and sat down opposite each other. Selphie watched him as he sat leaning on his knees deep in thought.

"Don't worry Squall, we'll find her." She said reassuringly, but he didn't give any sign of recognition

_Rinoa… why? _He thought

_Squall… _He heard her voice say, but it wasn't a memory.

_I'm sorry to have left like this… _

_Rinoa! _He screamed out in his head

_But I wanted to protect you… _

_Rinoa! Answer me! _

_Please… understand… this is something I have to do…_

_Rinoa…_ He thought, realising she couldn't hear him.

* * *

Rinoa jerked awake as the train shakily slowed down to a stop in the train station and the woman announced the station over the intercom. Rinoa looked up at the train clock and realised she'd been asleep most of the one hour train ride to her destination. She could have gotten a train straight here from Balamb, but she would have had to wait a while and that meant Squall could have found her; so she got on the first train there was.

Rinoa grabbed her bag and got off the train as it shook to a stop. She joined the other passengers who had disembarked going down the stairs away from the train. She continued to walk away from the train as it began to leave, smiling a little as she walked through the town she remembered from her past.

"Rinoa!" A voice called out, and an elderly woman in a red dress rushed over to her, "It's wonderful to see you again. You havn't been here in a while. Here on business?" The woman asked

"Err…" Rinoa stuttered, not quite knowing how to answer, "Sort of Mrs. McGrocket." Rinoa replied

"Okay dear, I'll leave you to it. The bar's the best bet if you're looking for who I think you're looking for."

"Thanks Mrs. McGrocket" Rinoa called out as the woman walked away.

Rinoa had always been amazed at the way Mrs. McGrocket could read her mind at times and know just what she wanted to find out without Rinoa even asking.

Rinoa turned and made her way to the Pub. She saw many familiar faces on her way there, and waved to them and called out greetings. She stopped once or twice for a quick chat but she wanted to get to the Pub quickly. She walked down the steps to the Pub and past the shop.

She paused in front of the door to the Pub, suddenly afraid for some reason. She took a deep breath and reminded herself why she was here and pushed the door open. She walked in slowly and closed the door behind her, the only main light source in the room disappearing. She scanned the room and found who she was looking for.

She sighed with relief and made her way over to them. She approached slowly and stopped behind them. They sensed her behind them and turned.

"Waitress, can I have a-" They stopped short when they saw her.

Rinoa was so happy to be with them, yet so sad to have left her friends behind and because of all the recent events that her eyes began to well up with tears she couldn't fight back.

"Rinoa? What are you doing here?" They said.

They got up and took Rinoa's back off of her and put it on the floor, then pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Can I stay with you for awhile?" She asked tearfully as they pulled away

They contemplated asking why, but seeing the tears on her face decided against it. Not yet.

"Of course you can." They said, pulling her into another a hug.

"Thanks Zone." She said quietly.

* * *

Eeeeee, that's another chapter finished. I purposely didn't name the person or the town for suspense, and so you could guess! Well… you know it's Zone so you can guess it's Timber if you didn't guess already. Reviewers Review! 


	12. Timber Trials

**Chapter 12 – Timber Trials**

Authors Note: Here's an extra long chapter for you!

* * *

The dark clouds hung over the sky like wardens of trouble. The temperature of the air had dropped a little and most people had gone home a little early, anxiously expecting rain. Rinoa sat on a dark, Oak wood box with a white cushion that went all along it. It could easily sit two people, three would be a little tight but manageable.

Rinoa had her hair wrapped up in a soft, white towel, both towel and hair still wet from her shower 20 minutes ago. It had been awhile since she had been at the main base for the Forest Owls. The main base was just a building, non-mobile. For the most part of a year before SeeD came to aid the Forest Owls, before Squall came to her aid, they had been using the mobile base most of the time – but now it was gone. Zone had told her that he and Watts had already begun work on the _"Raiders II"_ and they were also building a ship for the Forest Owls, to be called _"Angel Wings"_ and was going to be modelled on the White SeeD Ship. Which, according to Zone, was a 'life-changing experience' for him and Watts.

There was a gentle knock on the door and Rinoa called for whoever it was to enter. The person stuck their head around the door and the first thing Rinoa noticed was their blue bandanna. A huge grin spread across her face and she leapt up to them, towel dropping off her head, and giving them a tight hug.

"Watts! It's so good to see you!" Rinoa exclaimed

"Great to see you too, Princess." Watts choked, "Need- air-"

"Oh!" She gasped, releasing him from her tight grasp, "Sorry!"

"It's okay." Watts said

"I haven't seen you all day. How are you?" Rinoa asked

"I'm fine Princess. Dinner's almost ready. You coming down?" Watts asked

Rinoa nodded and followed him downstairs.

* * *

When they arrived downstairs, Zone was laying the small table in the kitchen. There weren't many members of the Forest Owls staying the base these days, it was just them 3 that night, the way it used to be.

"Hey Rinoa, dinner's almost ready." Zone said as her and Watts approached.

Rinoa raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"You? Cook?" She asked

"Hey! I cook fine!" Zone cried in defence

Rinoa cast her doubtful look over at Watts, looking for an honest opinion.

"He's…" Watts began, looking from Rinoa to Zone, "He's a… decent… cook. He learnt a few things from the cooks on the White SeeD Ship."

"Seriously?" She asked, still doubtful

"Just you wait Princess, don't mock until you've tried it. Which reminds me…" Zone said

He turned to the oven behind him and, using yellow and black oven mitts, removed the food from the two shelves. He placed the oven trays on top of the oven as he closed it and served the food onto plates. Rinoa and Watts cast each other worried glances and sat down at the table. Zone put their meals in front of them, got his and sat down too. They had Chicken, Roast Potatoes, Carrots, and Baby corn. Rinoa eyed her food suspiciously and poked it with her fork.

"What are you doing?" Zone asked, watching her inspect her food at eye level.

Rinoa looked up at him.

"I'm checking it. Making sure it's not poisoned or gonna explode in my face." Rinoa explained

"Ha, Ha." Zone said sarcastically.

Rinoa grinned and cut into her food.

"Hmm… Not bad…"

"Told ya."

"Shut up Zone."

* * *

Rinoa stood up and began to gather in all of the cutlery and finished plates. Watts stood up and took them off of her.

"Just relax Princess, we'll take care of it." Watts said

Rinoa looked between the two of them in disbelief

"Um, hello! Just because I haven't been here in a while, because I've been…" Rinoa paused and looked at the floor, after a moment she continued as if she hadn't paused at all, "Doesn't mean you have to treat me like royalty! I'm still the same Rinoa!"

Watts and Zone exchanged looks.

"Look Rin, we've been meaning to talk to ya. We heard about what happened in Galbadia. We want you to know that we're here for you. You just gott atell us what's wrong and what we can do." Zone said

"I've always known you guys were here for me, that's why I came here. It's just I…" Rinoa began, but was unable to finish

"Rinoa, you can tell us. I mean, it's us!" Watts said

Rinoa realised she was still standing and promptly sat down again.

"Well, you guys know all about everything up to Ultimecia's death and the after effects right? The reconstruction and stuff?" Rinoa asked

Watts and Zone nodded and she continued

"Well, lately my Sorceress powers have been a little off. At the SeeD Inauguration Ball, and then at the peace conference ball in Deling City, I began to feel faint and then I lost control over my body and powers. Then when I regain control… my powers have caused mayhem and havoc. And people look at me like I'm… a _thing_. Squall and the others took me to Odina, who found out that… someone has been messing with me, with my DNA. Manipulating me for their own purposes. Odine then prescribed these stupid injections for me to take."

"Fun…" Zone said, aware of her phobia of needles, "But what _actually_ happened that night in Deling City? I mean, you didn't actually… kill-" He began

"No! Of course not! …You guys didn't think that I-" Rinoa said

"No! We didn't! We just…" Watts exclaimed

"It's okay." Rinoa said, too tired to listen to any excuses, "I was… scared, scared of what I had done to that ballroom, what I had almost done to my friends and everyone there. I had to get out of there so bad. So I ran, into an alley next to the building. In the alley, I found the dead body. I just found it, I swear! Then… people came and jumped to conclusions and then I was in all of this mess! Now President I'm-so-charming-but-I-have-a-stick-shoved-up-my-ass-the-size-Galbadia Deling wants me sealed away at the very least. But what he really wants, and he's made this clear, is that he wants me dead! And it's causing trouble and stress for Squall and the others trying to sort it all out. I couldn't let them suffer 'cause of me. I thought that if I came here it'd make things easier for them. They shouldn't have to deal with all this mess because of me…" Rinoa explained

"You know they'll come looking for you though. If they haven't already begun." Watts said after a moment of silence.

"I know…"

"Squall won't let you go that easily." Zone said

"… He's gonna have to." Rinoa replied

Zone and Watts could tell she was on the verge of tears at that last sentence. They sat in silence as she went upstairs.

Rinoa cried herself to sleep that night.

* * *

Rinoa just laid in bed, gazing out the window. It was a bright morning, light filtering in, and the clouds of despair from yesterday had gone. A loud knock drew her away from her thoughts of what she was going to do. But it wasn't a knock on her bedroom door, it was on the door on the base.

She heard the door open and voices,

"Where is she? She's here isn't she? Where?" A voice recognised all too well demanded

"Who?" She heard Zone ask, even though he knew the answer

"Rinoa! Rinoa!" The first voice called out, ignoring Zone

_Squall…_ Rinoa thought

"Squall! Calm down!" A second voice she didn't expect shouted

_Selphie?_ Rinoa thought, bolting up to a sitting position and staring at the closed door

"She ain't here, Sir!" Watts said

"Whatever, Rinoa!"

"You gotta calm down! We got members sleepin' here!" Zone lied

"Is she sleeping here too!"

"Squall…" Selphie said, trying to calm him down with little success.

Rinoa heard a loud thump and a muffled "Oof!"

"Tell me where she is!" Squall roared

"Squall! Let him go!" Selphie exclaimed

Rinoa heard nothing but silence for several moments. Then she heard loud footsteps and at first she thought Squall was storming upstairs and was about to burst open her door. But he didn't. She heard the front door of the base slam shut then silence once again. Rinoa lay down again and pulled the duvet covers tightly around her for security and comfort.

* * *

Rinoa went downstairs after lying in bed for another hour or so, then taking a shower. She saw Zone and Watts having a heated, but whispered, discussion at the kitchen table. She went towards them.

"What's going on?" She asked

Zone and Watts, startled, jerked around to face her.

"Oh, nothing." Watts said

"Liar." Rinoa replied

"We were just…"

"Talking about Squall?" Rinoa supplied when Watts couldn't think of what to say

"Yeah"

"I'm sorry you had to deal with him. I didn't want to have to put you in that position because of me."

"You're our friend Rin, we'd do anything for you." Zone said

"Thanks." She said, smiling a little, "Still, I think I should leave it'd be better for all of us…"

"Rinoa, you can stay as long as you want. It's wonderful having you here again, but… I'm worried about our safety." Zone said

Rinoa smiled a little and half rolled her eyes. Zone saw her expression and quickly continued,

"Well, not just our safety, but the safety of any Owls who might come here too. He's strong, Rin, much stronger than any of the Owls, and at a much higher level. The only one who'd stand a chance against him is you." Zone finished

"I know. That's why I'm gonna go."

"Rin…" Watts said

"No. I've made my mind up."

"Where you gonna go?" Zone asked

"… I don't know…"

The front door burst open and two teens ran in and into the kitchen, a boy and a girl not much younger than Rinoa, Zone and Watts.

"Zone!" The boy called, Zone and Watts rose to their feet and all 3 turned to face the pair

"What's going on Troy?" Zone asked

"Galbadians, sir!" The girl replied, and Rinoa recognised her as Watts apprentice, she was called Amira

"Galbadians!" Watts repeated, shocked.

"Yeah, they're searching all over town for somethin'… or someone… Not carin' who gets in their way." Troy told them

"I'll go deal with them. They're probably here for me anyway." Rinoa said, and began to move out of the kitchen

"I'm going with you." Zone said

"Me too." Watts added

"No. It's too dangerous." Rinoa said, stopping and facing them

"We can't let you go alone." Zone said

"We're you friends." Watts said

Rinoa stared at them for a moment, contemplating taking them along. They were willing to risk their lives for her… They all knew they weren't the best of fighters, especially Watts, but they could hold their own. She nodded and the three of them ran out of the base.

* * *

They ran through the town asking people they passed where the Galbadians were. It didn't take long for them to find. They were at the Train Tracks. Rinoa could see that Army Trucks blocked both ends of the tracks to prevent escape, also meant no entry. They had evaded most of the Galbadian grunts on the way here, saving their energy for the leaders of the attack.

Rinoa saw them standing on the tracks, talking. There were 5. They looked different to regular Galbadian Soldiers. They had no helmets and their swords were of a much higher standard than usual. They wore black clothes and had no bulky armour like Soldiers did. At first glance you wouldn't know they were part of the military. The thing that really gave them away was their high class swords and the White emblem of Glabadia on the left sleeve of their black jackets. Rinoa recognised them instantly, they were one of the highest classes of Soldiers and had heard of her father talk about them only once, when she had been eavesdropping on him when she was 11. They were As'cum. Elite assassins and soldiers who handled all of the military's top jobs.

"Is that them?" Watts asked

Rinoa nodded

"Don't like normal soldiers…" Zone said

"They aren't. They're As'cum. Elite soldiers… and assassins." She explained

She heard Zone gulp,

"You don't have to go through with this. We all know that they are better fighters than you… it'll be tough for me as well…" She said

"We're still here for. We ain't going anywhere." Zone said.

They all nodded to one another and gave each other hopeful smiles before confronting the As'cum.

"Lookie what we got here boys. Three little kids who think they can take us on." One of the As'cum said, clearly the leader of the group, as Rinoa, Zone and Watts.

His posture and entire look just screamed confidence and power. But also, he had a black 'C' in his Galbadian emblem, meaning 'Captain'. He had scruffy, jet black hair that fell over his face a little. He had a small, gold hoop earring through his right ear. Rinoa took out her blaster edge, Zone was a martial artists like Zell (but not as good) and Watts took out his sword.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you." Rinoa warned

The leader laughed mockingly and encouraged the other As'cum to join in.

"Well, look at the little mouse. Think she's brave enough to face us! She doesn't even know who we are!" The Leader mocked

"You are As'cum. And I'm not a mouse, I'm much tougher than I look." Rinoa said

"Really? Bring it on." The leader said, Rinoa took a step forward, "But. I like to get to know the people I kill a little. I'm Terry. What's your name mouse?"

Being called a mouse irritated Rinoa greatly, but she tried her hardest not to sink to their level or react.

"My name's Rinoa Heartilly." Rinoa replied after a short moment of silent thought as whether or not to respond.

Two of the As'cum exchanged slightly worried looks, two exchanged grins, but Terry just stared at her and nodded. It was obvious to her now that they were sent here for her.

"J. and Coram. You two take the little girl's bodyguards. Iccara and Kiln, you stay back for now. She's mine." Terry ordered.

Two soldiers, the one's who had been worried about Rinoa's identity, walked off to either side and approached Zone and Watts. Everyone stood still for a moment, waiting for someone else to make the first move. Rinoa waited no longer and attacked Terry, sparking Zone and Watts into action too.

Terry easily dodged the blaster edge and swung at Rinoa, his expression showing that he seemed bored. Rinoa side-stepped out of the way just in time, the edge of the sword catching her arm-warmer without piercing skin. Rinoa cast a firaga which hit Terry then let off her blaster edge which also struck him.

Terry reacted buy thrusting his sword at Rinoa's stomach, which she narrowly avoided. Then Terry turned the end of his thrust into a swipe which caught Rinoa's leg. She groaned in pain and staggered back a little. She fired off her blaster edge once again. Terry swung his sword, stopping the path of the projectile and causing it to fall to the floor useless. He descended upon her and struck her across the face, causing her to fall to her knees. She spit out a little blood onto the ground.

Before she knew what was happening, her arms were roughly grabbed by the two soldiers who Terry had ordered to stand back for the time being. Clearly this was what they were waiting for. Rinoa was pulled up onto her feet, and a quick glance showed her that Zone and Watts had been defeated and were being roughly held back. Zone was pinned down to the ground but was struggling madly, watching her, while Watts had his own sword held tightly against his throat, watching her also. Rinoa's attention was then focused once more on Terry.

He was approaching her slowly, sword in hand, a murderous look on his face. Rinoa tried to struggle out of her captors glance and was preparing to cast a spell to throw off the two As'cum holding her and Terry so she could help her comrades. But a sharp prick diverted her attention to the As'cum on her left. She saw him injecting something into her arm, a strange greeny-yellow liquid.

"That's a powerful tranquilser." Terry explained, "But not for your senses. It sedates your magic, and will possibly make you tired and queasy as a side-effect. Specially designed for you, Sorceress. You won't be able to cast the most simple of magics, let alone one of your special Sorceress ones. So don't get any ideas." Terry warned

Rinoa could feel the sedative take effect immediately and felt a little dizzy. She struggled against the two As'cum's grip, in the dim hope of escaping. But knowing their reputation she doubted it. Terry eyed his sword.

"We were ordered to bring you in alive, Sorceress Rinoa. And to kill anyone who got in our way. But, I don't think you deserve to live. It won't cost us much if we bring you in dead. If you struggled and we were forced to battle you and you accidently got killed. That's what we'll say, anyway." Terry said, a malicious grin spreading across his face.

Rinoa's eyed widened and she struggled harder, with no effect. Terry drew back his arm with his sword in it, ready to thrust it in to her stomach and Rinoa watched the blade helplessly as her vain attempts to escape weakened. Terry thrust the blade forward.

Another blade intercepted it and Terry was tackled to the ground. Rinoa looked on as Terry struggled under the attackers strength. The attacker struck Terry's face powerfully, knocking him out. The attacker stood up and approached Rinoa, ready to take out the last two As'cum. The attacker punched each of them and they crumpled.

Free at last from their strong grip, Rinoa collapsed into her saviours arms.

"Squall…" She said weakly, as he held her in his arms.

She looked over his shoulder and saw Selphie helping the also free Zone off the ground, as Watts looked over in her direction.

"Rinoa…" She heard Squall say, just before she passed out.

* * *

That was a longer chapter for you! I didn't plan it to be that long, but it was. Oh well! You guys are probably pleased… Right? I'll try and get the next chapter up in a couple of days for ya. Reviewers Review! 


	13. Consequences

**Chapter 13 – Consequences**

_Authors Note: Another long chapter!

* * *

_

Rinoa sat on her bed, gazing out of the window with her arm held out. Squall injected her with her medication from Odine, not looking up at her face. Instead he concentrated furiously on the simple task he was doing. Squall had called for a SeeD Vessel to come and collect Selphie, Rinoa and himself from Timber ASAP. Watts and Zone had refused to come with them. Rinoa had to spend 24 hours in the Infirmary so Dr. Kadowaki could be sure that she hadn't sustained any life threatening injuries, which she hadn't, and so the magic sedative could wear off, which it quickly did. Rinoa and Squall had barely spoken let alone looked at one another. There was a strange but large rift between them.

"Done." Squall said monotonously.

Squall looked at Rinoa for a moment, expecting her gaze to meet his. When she didn't turn to look at him, he lowered his gaze assuming she didn't care enough about him anymore to look at him.

Rinoa turned her gaze and looked at Squall as he put the syringe away in its black, leather box and threw the empty vial away. She was assuming, no; hoping, that he would return the gaze. But he didn't She sighed and turned back to the window, assuming he was angry with her.

Squall put the black box on her desk and left the room without so much as a 'goodbye' or even the slightest of gestures. Rinoa almost called out to him as he was leaving the room, but the called words choked in her throat and refused to sound.

Rinoa just sat there, alone, in her room for a long time. She ignored the rumblings in her belly and the sandpaper feel in her throat. Her eyes, usually so full of life and energy, now looked sad and mournful. Finally, she stood up onto stiff legs and left the room. She walked through the spacious and clean corridors of the Garden, not quite sure where she was going.

As she walked past, many of the students gave her odd looks, whispered in a very obvious manner or averted their eyes when she looked at them. She felt unwanted, or as if she were an outcast. A feeling she hated, even more so now she was a Sorceress. A feeling that she was feared and hated amongst others. She didn't want that. Ignoring the students she went over to the elevator.

She pressed the call button and waited patiently. When the elevator arrived she found two female students already inside. They were talking animatedly and laughing about something. They turned to leave, and they practically froze when they saw her. They moved to one side to let her in, then rushed out and glancing back began talking again in hushed whispers.

Rinoa pressed the button for the second floor, immediately followed by the 'close doors' button. She walked through the second floor corridors, which were practically empty since most students up here in were lessons. She walked to the end of the corridor and up the stairs. She emerged on the deck and, seeing no one else up here, breathed in the fresh late-afternoon air and went over to the railing.

She leaned on the railing and gazed out over the peaceful looking Balamb Island. She could see a Galbadian military vessel hovering nearby. Ronan Deling had recalled all his troops the day Rinoa had ran away, leaving only one ship behind to watch over the Garden. Since their return, Squall had also posted a few SeeDs around entrances and exits all around Garden. Even though he said it was to be a form of defence against any Galbadian Soldiers, she knew it was so she couldn't escape again.

She felt trapped. Like a mouse in cage.

Rinoa was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door open and close behind her. The first time she realised someone was there was when they leaned on the railing next to her. Neither said anything for a few moments.

"What do you want?" Rinoa asked, "Did… he…" Rinoa began

"No. He didn't send me." The person said, "A couple of students saw you come up here and were discussing it very loudly. I thought I'd come up and see how you were."

"… Thanks Quistis." Rinoa said

"No problem." Quistis replied, smiling

Neither of them looked at one another, but Rinoa could feel her smiling.

"Is he… Is he mad at me?" Rinoa asked after a moment of silence

"…A little. He doesn't understand why you ran off on your own like that. He doesn't understand why you didn't go to him for help instead; why you hid from him." Quistis replied

"I just… couldn't. It was just so hard and stressful for all of you, you didn't show it but I could tell. I didn't want to cause you any more trouble. I didn't want any of you to get hurt because of me. So I thought leaving was the best option. So I went to the only other people in the world I could trust not to go running back to you, or to Squall. Or to my father." Rinoa explained.

"But you could have talked to us Rinoa, we could have helped without you having to run away. You wouldn't have had to face those Galbadians on your own and you wouldn't have almost been killed!" Quistis exclaimed, turning to face Rinoa.

"I just couldn't let you guys get hurt because of me!" Rinoa replied

"But Rinoa-"

"I couldn't let that happen again!" Rinoa shouted loudly, on the verge of tears

They stared at one another in silence for a minute or two.

"Again?" Quistis asked, confused.

"I… Quistis, please, understand. I did what I thought was best. And to do that I had to leave in secret and hide away. If you were in my position what would you do? Let the people you love and care about get hurt, or run away to try and prevent that if you thought you could?" Rinoa asked, blinking away the last of the tears that almost spilled onto her pale cheek.

"… I understand." Quistis replied

Rinoa gave her a grateful smile.

"Let's go to dinner." Quistis said and the pair left the deck and went indoors.

* * *

Rinoa was less perturbed by the students whispers this time as they made their way to the cafeteria. They found Zell sitting at a table and once they had their dinner they joined him.

"Hi Zell." Quistis said as they sat down.

"Hey Quisty, Rinoa." He replied

"What the hell is that Zell?" Quistis asked, eyeing his food

"It's a hotdog with melted cheese, ketchup, lettuce, coleslaw and chips all piled on top." He replied, seeing no problem with his meal

Rinoa and Quistis exchanged glances

"It's… just not very healthy is it?" Rinoa said

"It is! It's got lettuce and coleslaw in it."

Rinoa smiled, resisting the urge to laugh while Quistis just shook her head and sighed.

"What!" Zell said, looking from one to the other.

"Nothing Zell, nevermind." Quistis replied, "Just eat your… hotdog."

* * *

Rinoa left Zell and Quistis as they went one way to their dorms and she went another. She turned the light on in her room, and plonked down on her bed. The rest of the meal with Zell and Quistis had been a lot of fun, mostly poking fun at Zell. They stayed in the cafeteria for a long time until they were kicked out for making too much noise and disturbing the students trying to eat their meals. They went to the Quad for a while, where Zell showed off his newest moves. They eventually decided to call it a night.

Rinoa looked around her room. On her desk she could see the black, leather box sitting exactly where Squall had left it. She hadn't touched it. She hadn't touched it even once since Odine had given them to her. Laguna had given them to Squall to look after. She got up and went over to the box on her desk. She reached out a shaky hand to touch it, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to come any closer than a few inches away.

She grabbed a jumper off the back of her chair and, with the jumper over her hands, picked up the box and put it into her top desk drawer. Once she closed the drawer, she let out a sigh and felt her breathing ease. Only then did she realise how tense the box had made her and how strained her breathing became. She threw the jumper on the bed and opened the bottom desk drawer. She took out the book she had borrowed from the Library on Sorceresses.

She looked at the familiar gold writing on the cover, reading _'A Detailed History of Magic and Sorcery_' below which was the authors name. She opened the book and turned to the last page with writing on it, the writing belonging to her. After finishing reading the book she had decided to update it. She had written about the Sorceresses Hyda, Indicara and Pimor. She took out an old writing quill, similar to those which the other authors must have used to keep it in the same style.

She dipped her quill into a pot of black ink and wrote,

_Sorceress Edea_

_A powerful Sorceress who was a prominent figure in Galbadia from around 4030 until 4042. In the year 4042, she took over control of the continent of Galbadia, murdering President Vinzer Deling (who was a tyrant and dictator, as well as a father) in order to do so. She battled SeeD twice, in Deling City during a parade to celebrate her ascension and then again in Galbadia Garden during a battle with Balamb Garden. After the battle, it emerges she was under the control of another Sorceress from the future called Ultimecia. She returns to her former self with little power left. She returns to her orphanage and her husband Cid Kramer, Headmaster of Balamb Garden. After the battle her powers pass to another._

Rinoa re-read what she wrote about Edea, being careful not to mention herself anywhere. She continued,

Sorceress Adel 

_Sorceress Adel was a prominent Sorceress in the years 4018 until 4042. She ruled over the technologically advanced continent of Esthar with malice and an iron-grip. She went to war with the continent of Galbadia with which they fought heated battles. Adel was the Sorceress who first discovered the 'Crystal Pillar', and ordered it to be enclosed inside a special casing – Lunatic Pandora. The Lunatic Pandora can cause the Lunar Cry at any time. She ordered many young girls to be taken into Estharian custody who could be possible successors to her. She takes a particular liking to a special child called Ellone Leonhart, who possessed the ability to send a person's consciousness into the past and was a candidate for the inheritance of Adel's powers. Three men (with the help of the Anti-Adel Movement), used a hologram of Ellone as bait and tricked Adel into a Sorceress Sealing Chamber and launch her into space where she would be under constant watch. One of the men, Laguna Loire, went on to become President of Esthar. In 4042, Adel was released from her chamber during the Lunar Cry. Five SeeDs managed to defeat the Sorceress and save another Sorceress who had been equipped to Adel to give her more power. Adel was a powerful Sorceress who is now, most definitely dead._

Rinoa put her quill down and re-read the passage. Quite satisfied with it she dipped her old quill into more ink and began writing once again.

_Sorceress Ultimecia_

_Sorceress Ultimecia was first known in the year 4042, which was also the year of her death. She was a Sorceress from the future who reached that time period through Time Compression, with the help of Ellone Leonhart and another Sorceress who helped her so she could be reached and defeated by SeeD. Little was known about Ultimecia apart from the fact that she was a Sorceress from the future who wanted to achieve Time Compression. Time Compression being where the timeline got muddled up so past, present and future all blended into one. Sorceress Ultimecia resided in a large castle with Guardian Forces and other formidable beasts protecting her, including the fearsome Omega Weapon and former-Guardian Force Tiamat. Ultimecia herself had her own Guardian Force named Greiver, with whom she unleashed and later equipped herself onto during her final battle with SeeD. After her death, time returned to normal and steps were taken to try and prevent her from repeating the process in her own time. _

Rinoa wrote down what she could for Ultimecia, then stopped again. Only one more Sorceress left. Herself. She wrote her name, _'Sorceress Rinoa', _at the top of a fresh page, but didn't know what to write exactly. It felt… wrong…to be writing about herself. Rinoa sat there awhile, contemplating what to write, before a yawn got the better of her and she retreated to the comfort of her soft bed.

* * *

Ronan Deling knelt before Morgana in that same room, more darker than usual because of the bleak night.

"Please Morgana, I beg forgiveness!" He pleaded

"You failed me, you little rat." She hissed

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please! Give me another chance! I won't fail you again!" He exclaimed

Morgana examined him carefully. She could clearly see how he clung to life so dearly. Yet she could not see why, he had no loved ones of any kind. The only thing he loved was power, just like his father.

_And look where that got him._ She thought

"Off your knees you little toad. I'll grant you one. Last. Chance." She said slowly, emphasising every letter so he understood the graveness of his position.

"Thank you, thank you." Ronan repeated, over and over again as he rose.

"Shut up!" She hissed at him. "That does not mean you are forgiven for your grave error. You will pay for that dearly if you do not deliver with this next task. Call it… redemption."

"Of course Morgana, what would you have me do?" He asked

"_Her_." She said, her word dripping with loathing, "I sense opportunity on the rise. You must be swift. Go there immediately and bring her back here. Intact."

"Yes Morgana." Ronan said obligingly and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Ronan." She began as an afterthought, he turned to face her. "If you fail me this time…" She let her words hang, let him fill in the blanks.

He gulped, bowed and left.

* * *

Rinoa sat in breakfast with Irvine, Selphie and Quistis. Irvine had his arm around Selphie, who leaned lovingly against him.

"So have you two set a date yet?" Rinoa asked, biting into her toast.

"We havn't exactly settled on one yet. We're having… disagreements." Selphie explained, looking up at Irvine then back at her.

"Well it's not my fault…" Irvine said casually and quietly

"Don't even go there Kinneas. You so know it's your fault." Selphie replied

"What? It's your fault that you keep jumping from date to date, month to month."

"Well it's not my fault that _someone_ isn't giving any opinion of any kind!" Selphie said angrily.

"Hey! Come on you two, we can't have you break up!" Quistis exclaimed, stopping the fight

"Yeah, what would we do without the daily bickering?" Rinoa joked

"Not funny!" Selphie exclaimed, leaning over the table and playfully hitting Rinoa over the head.

"Oww!" Rinoa exclaimed as Irvine and Quistis sat there in hysterics, Selphie finally beginning to give into temptation and laugh too.

Rinoa glared at them all for a moment, before laughing along too. The laughing stopped and the smile was instantly wiped off her face as soon as she glanced at the entrance. Squall. He had just entered with Zell, looking annoyed because Zell seemed to be rambling on about something or other. He saw her and just stared at her. Zell turned to see what Squall was looking at, as did Selphie, Irvine and Quistis for Rinoa. An awkward silence filled both groups and the noise of the Cafeteria was blocked out.

Rinoa and Squall just stared into each others eyes from across the room. Both too timid to go over and initiate conversation or any type of action at all. They stayed like this for several long moments that lasted an eternity. Rinoa was the first to look away, and then immediately got up and left in silence.

She stormed quickly through the corridors and back to her room. She entered her room, slamming the door shut and just stood in silence in the middle of the room. There was a quiet knock on her door and the person entered without waiting for permission. It was Squall.

"Rinoa…" He said softly

"Squall… I…" She began, unable to find the words, and turned to face him.

"Let me." He said, closing the door, "I've thought about it a lot. And I still don't understand. Why didn't you just come to me?" He asked, his eyes begging for answers

"I couldn't. I couldn't let you get hurt. I thought it was the best option." She said slowly, thinking of the words carefully before speaking them.

"Rinoa, I'm here to protect you. I _want_ to protect you. I am your Knight after all. You just have to let me in. You can't just run off stupidly to-"

"What?" She cut in, "You think I was stupid?" She asked angrily.

"What? No. I said that wrong. Rinoa, we're here to help because we want to. You're not on your own anymore."

"I know that." She said, calmer once again, "But it's hard."

"Rinoa…"

"No Squall! I could feel it! Pain and… death… were looming ever closer, imminent, and I thought that leaving would prevent it. Which it appears it did." She told him

"Rinoa, you have to learn that we would do anything for you, just like you would do anything for us. What you did was foolish-" He said, reaching out

"Don't touch me!" She yelled, recoiling.

"Rinoa, please-" He said, reaching out again

Her eyes flared with magic and a barrier appeared in front of her, sending Squall flying into the wall behind him next to the door. He fell to the ground and winced in pain. She looked horrified at what she had done and hurried out of the room, whispering a "Sorry" that was barely audible.

* * *

She rushed through the corridors of the Garden once again. She left the Dormitory block and hesitated, which way? She heard Squall calling out behind her and went right. He was running after her, calling out her name. He finally caught up to her outside the Cafeteria and grabbed her arm, spinning her around.

"Let go!" She shouted, trying to pull her arm out of his tight grip.

"No! Rinoa, please." He said, refusing to let go and ignoring the students who had stopped and stared.

"Squall, please…" Rinoa said

"Why won't you just talk to me? Why won't you just turn to me for help?" He asked, ignoring her.

Selphie, Irvine, Quistis and Zell emerged from the Cafeteria after hearing about a commotion in the hallway. They all stared in shock at what they saw.

"Squall, please, let go. You're hurting me." She pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

"Rinoa, just talk to me. Why won't you tell me what's going on? What are you afraid of?" He demanded, ignoring her pleas.

"Squall…" She said, wincing in pain.

"Talk to me!" He yelled at her.

The other four deemed it time to intervene. Irvine and Zell pulled Squall away, forcing him to release his grip on Rinoa. Squall refused to look away from her as he was pulled back. Rinoa fell back into Selphie and Quistis, rubbing her own arm where Squall had held her. Staring at him, but instead of awkwardness or love; it was in fear.

"Rinoa! Answer me!" He yelled

Rinoa looked at him then turned and fled through the crowds, who let her pass through them without hesitation or struggle. She didn't know where she was running, she just… ran. She found herself at the Front Gate, where two SeeD appointed to keep her in tried to stop her. They spoke to her, but she didn't listen to their words. She cast a sleep spell on them, not having the time to deal with them.

She ran past them as they crumpled to the ground, asleep instantly. She ran out of the Garden and onto the plains, looking for where to go.

* * *

The students began to disperse and Irvine, Selphie, Quistis and Zell stood around Squall, trying to calm his temper.

"Squall, that wasn't a good way to handle your anger." Quistis said

"Just give her a little space, she'll come to you to explain in her own time." Irvine said

Squall just stood, arms crossed glaring to the side.

"_Squall, report to the Front Gate immediately, Galbadians sir." _Nida's voice boomed over the intercom, Squall groaned.

"_Sir… they've got Rinoa."_ Nida added, sorrowfully

Squall's mind snapped to attention and he sprinted full-tilt to the Front Gate, followed by the others.

When they arrived there, they found an unconscious Rinoa being carried by a pair of Galbadian Soldiers onto an airship, Ronan Deling standing there and watching. They all ran towards the ship, and Ronan turned to look at them as they approached. He smirked and spitefully waved to them, before calmly getting onto the ship himself. It rose into the air and flew off just as Squall and the others reached it. They all stared after it.

"Rinoa…" Squall whispered.

* * *

There you go, this is my longest chapter I've written (but not by much P) so I hope you like! Reviewers Review! 


	14. Dreams of the One She Loved

**Chapter 14 – Dreams of the One She Loved**

Authors Note: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews and everything. Sorry it took so long to post an update. I've had loads of coursework to do before Easter and I had the school play with rehearsals almost everyday, but not anymore! So enjoy this chapter!

Also, check out my new story on called Flame Reborn in the fantasy section. Still pretty new and not much up there, but enjoy!

_

* * *

_

_Darkness. It enveloped and coiled around her like a snake, choking her senses and clouding her mind. She couldn't feel anything, only the darkness. From deep within the darkness she could sense a strong presence. She moved forward, looking from left to right, trying in vain to locate the strong presence. From somewhere up above a small beam of light began to trickle down, illuminating the area ever so slightly. She moved forward slowly, aware of others. She could hear whispering, low voices and the rustle of movement. A dark figure flashed across her vision and she stumbled back in surprise. _

_The strong presence she could sense earlier seemed to be fading, disappearing. She continued on, looking around nervously. As the whispering grew louder and chanting began, she sped up until she was sprinting for all she was worth. As she ran the thin beam of light constantly remained in front of her, as she moved it moved at the same speed. A dark figure jumped out at her again and roared, before slipping into the darkness once again. She fell to the ground, which would have been painful, if she could feel it. As she landed the chanting abruptly ceased. She slowly to rose to her feet. _

_Standing in the beam of light in front of her, stood a young man of the same age. He had dark hair and dark clothing, all apart from his white vest, which was visible through his jacket. He just stood there stock still, staring quietly at her. She smiled weakly and took a few steps towards him. This time the light did not move as she did, and neither did he. It was hard for her to see him because of the stifling darkness creeping around them. _

_She held out her hand, her palm facing upward, and stared at it solemnly. He watched too. After a moment a small light appeared floating above her hand, then it transformed into a glowing white feather. With this new light source she could see the features of his face better. His face was solemn and cold. She stared into his eyes, searching for a sliver of an idea of how he was feeling and what he was thinking. But she could find nothing; it was like it wasn't him. _

_The light the feather floating in her hand began dim, drawing her attention to it. The feather began to shrivel up and then spontaneously set on fire. The ashes fell onto her hand. She stared in horror as she watched the destruction of the feather._

_"**What did you do?**" He asked, still watching her_

_She looked up at him with watery eyes. She still held the ashes in her palm._

_"**Squall…?**" She asked, confused._

_"Squall…" She whispered softly, on the very edges of consciousness._

_

* * *

_

Her eyes blinked open wearily. She was in a dark, dank, musty room. There were candles on the walls that lit the room a little. On the far wall was a heavy wooden door with a small glass-less window in it at head height and vertical metal bars across it.

Rinoa sat up slowly, her body felt stiff and weak. It felt... foreign. She looked down at her hands, and then at the rest of her body. It was her own, but it still felt strange. As she was surveying her body she noticed she was in shackles and chains. The shackles on her wrists were connected to one another and looped through a large metal ring high up on the wall.

_Drip... drip... drip..._

She looked around the room for the source of the noise. In one corner of the room was a leak in the corner of the room where the ceiling and the two walls met. The water trickled down the wall and created a puddle on the floor.

Now that her eyes had adjusted to the light she could make out more of the features of the room. It was made out of large, rough stone. There were old wooden chairs and a small table in one corner of the room.

On the floor in front of her, on an oval-shaped metal tray, was a jug of water and a cup, and some bread. Now that she could see the water and the bread she realised how thirsty and hungry she was. But who left it? That question was the first of many to come to attention. Where was she? How did she get here? What was going on? Could she take the risk of eating the bread and drinking the water? What if it was drugged? What if it was poisoned? _Who had done this?

* * *

_

Morgana stared into the water in the shallow dish on her lap. In the water's surface she could see the pale-skinned girl in blue awakening. Her thin lips curved into a malicious smile. She waved her hand over the dish and the image rippled away. She looked out of the corner of her eye at the other figure in the room, standing just behind her.

"You did well Ronan. Exceptional, even. Leave her in there for a few hours; let her stir a little. Make sure she is ignored and can hear nothing, I want her to feel totally alone." The sorceress smirked evilly.

"Yes Morgana. But I'm a little curious as to-"

"Silence!" Morgana interrupted, her booming voice holding more power than any mortals. "You will get what you want, but not if you are not patient. You are worse than father." She snarled

"Don't talk about him like that!" Ronan snapped without thinking, rage boiling up inside of him.

"I can talk however I please!" Morgana snapped back, the flames in the room flickering as she spoke, "Do you forget who I am and what I have done for you! You are trying my patience you impudent little worm! Do you wish to end your services with me! Shall I undo all that I have done for you!""

Ronan shrunk back in fright as the green-eyed Sorceress barked and bellowed at him.

"N-N-No, So-So-Sorceress Mor-Morgana." Ronan stuttered, cowering like a small child.

Morgana calmed her temper as she looked at the shrinking president before her.

_Insolent little dog._

"Go. Get out of my sight." She snarled, disgusted.

Ronan was quick to oblige, running terrified from the room as quickly, but courteously, as possible.

"He's becoming a liability…" She said aloud, sitting down in her chair once again. "He's showing his mortal weaknesses…"

She looked up at a gnarled perch made out of wood in front of the wall opposite her. She snapped her fingers and a dark red raven magically appeared out of thin air.

"Follow him, carefully. Make sure he never leaves your sight and report back to me as soon as he does something he should not. Stay out sight of all. You have never disappointed me before Shalrock, don't start now. Go." Morgana ordered.

The dark red raven, Shalrock, cawed obediently, stretching his wings. His eyes were deep, infinite, entrancing. As it finished cawing and stretched it's wings one final time, it disappeared as magically and mysteriously as it had done before, it's eyes glowing and being the last part of it to vanish.

Morgana watched it disappear, then picked up the shallow dish of water once again…

* * *

Squall paced back and forth impatiently. What was taking so long? He looked at the clock on the wall. _3:14 am_. Rinoa had been gone for about 12 hours. In that time Squall had only gotten more and more worked up and temperamental. The door opened and Squall's head shot up from the floor in front of him.

"And?" He demanded

"…I'm sorry." Selphie said sadly, shaking her head.

Behind her stood Irvine, head bowed.

"Keep looking!" He snapped back.

They had split into teams to search Balamb and the nearest regions of Galbadia for news. People from Garden had also volunteered for help and Quistis was on her way to Esthar to see what they could do.

"Squall, you gotta get some sleep. The teams who can have come back for rest, you should do the same." Irvine said

"Send them out again." Squall said crossly

"Squall, they're exhausted. They can't do anything in their condition. And neither can you." Selphie said

"Dammit Selphie!" Squall yelled.

He paused and silence filled his office. He didn't like this room, which was why he rarely ever used it apart from official work.

"…Sorry. I just…" Squall tried to explain.

"It's okay Squall." Selphie said, going over to him and putting one hand on his shoulder and resting her head upon it.

"Yeah man, don't worry about it. You're worried. We get that." Irvine added

"We miss her too." Selphie finished off.

"Thanks." Squall said finally, after a long silence

"So you gonna get some rest now?" Selphie asked

"No. Not until I find her." Squall said firmly.

"Squall, please. You need rest. Rin would hate to see you like this. You can't save anyone in this condition." Irvine replied

"But-"

"No buts! If you don't go and get some rest now, I'll tell Rin when she gets back and she will _not_ be happy with you mister!" Selphie said sternly, putting her hands on her hips. "Now go!" She said, pulling him to the door.

Selphie practically had to drag Squall all the way to his dorm and nearly locked him inside. After making him swear to get some rest they reluctantly went to do the same.

Squall looked around his dark dorm, where everywhere he could see remnants of where Rinoa had been not so long ago. On his desk he could see pictures of her, of them together, of the entire gang. There was one picture of her that was taken in the summer when they made a day excursion to the beach.

She was wearing a cream coloured halter neck bikini. Her eyes reflected the sunlight beautifully and her smile was radiant. She was sitting on the sand with the blue water behind her. Squall picked up the photo and stared at it in the dim lighting. He took it over to the bed and lay down, staring at the photo of Rinoa.

"Rinoa… where are you?" He whispered to himself.

* * *

Rinoa stared into the water in the rough, clay cup she held with both hands. Reflected on it the waters surface was a girl with pale skin, chocolate brown eyes and raven coloured hair. Herself. She looked sad and lonely. Rinoa still hadn't eaten of the bread or drank of the water. She was trying to discern if it was poisoned.

As she stared into this water, a realisation came over her. It mustn't be poisoned, if they had wanted her dead then why take her? Why not kill her while she slept? As calmness took over her, she lifted the clay cup to her dry lips and drank. She put the cup back down next to her and lifted the bread to her now moist lips and bit off a large chunk.

Rinoa sighed and put the bread back on the tray. Where was Squall? Why hadn't he come? Where was she? Who had taken her? As soon as she thought this, the memories returned to her…

* * *

_She had tears streaming down her face. Her mind was racing at what had happened. Squall, why was he doing this? Why was everything suddenly so awkward and difficult? She stopped running and turned to look back at the Garden. No one seemed to be coming yet. That was good. _

_She bit her lip and looked around. Where could she go? She could hid in the Fire Cavern, but it would be too easy for Squall and the others to find her. The only other option was to catch a train from Balamb Town to Dollet, and from there she could go anywhere. But it wouldn't be long before Squall and the others would be close behind. And it was a Sunday, the trains didn't run as often on a Sunday. It could be a long time before the train left…_

_As she was contemplating where to go, gunfire rained down on her. She raised her hands instinctively in front of her face and ducked down low. She looked around for the source of the gunfire. She saw a dozen Galbadians running at full pelt towards her, and behind them another dozen soldiers raining gunfire down upon her. _

_Before she knew what was happening, the soldiers were surrounding her and the gunfire ceased. Rinoa stood up and was about to cast a spell to blast them away so she could run. As she raised her hand to cast a spell, she felt something jab into her back. She groaned in pain and slowly raised a hand to her back. She pulled out the object and found herself staring at a needle. _

_She quickly began to feel nauseous and dizzy and knew what was going on. She desperately tried to fight off the darkness and unconsciousness that was quickly sweeping over her. The soldiers before her parted and a familiar face stepped past them. Ronan Deling._

_"Dear Sorceress. I'm afraid that if you won't come voluntarily, we must take you by force. For your own good." He smirked evily._

_"..Wh…wh…what?" She said, breathing heavily, the words refusing to come out of her mouth._

_"I guess you're wondering what is happening to you? It's a mixture of that Sorceress-magic tranquilliser given to you in Timber, and a normal tranquilliser. Should keep you knocked out for a while. Plenty of time to take you away." Ronan said, as two soldiers grabbed Rinoa's arms. _

_She struggled weakly until unconsciousness took her, the last thing that she saw being Ronan's evil grinning face. Squall…_

_A tear fell down her cheek as she remembered. She resented ever rejecting or excluding Squall. How she needed him now. Ronan… Galbadians… What did they want from her? Where they… Where they really gonna execute her like they said they would? Rinoa gulped and drew her knees up to her chest and buried her head in her knees. What was she going to do? There was an anti-magic barrier on the chamber, she had already tried. And the chains were strong and unbreakable. What was she going to do?

* * *

_

That's it for this chapter! Again, sorry it took so long. I had my school play and then lots of coursework, but that's all out of the way now. So here it is! Reviewers Review!


	15. The President of Galbadia

**Chapter 15 – The President of Galbadia**

_Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming in! I love to hear what you think, even if it is criticism.

* * *

_

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Squall opened his eyes wearily. He sat up slowly, looking around the room. It was light; it was morning. He looked down and saw that he still had the photo of Rinoa in his hands. He must have fallen asleep looking at it. He got up and put it on the desk again, where it belonged.

_Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!_

He had forgotten about the knocking that had woken him up. Whoever was knocking was clearly getting irritated, as the knocking sounded more purposeful, louder and harder. He went over to the door and opened it. There stood Selphie.

"Hey Squall. Sleep well?" She asked, semi-chirpily

"What do you want Selphie?" He asked

"Quistis just got back from Esthar. They sent the Ragnarok for help and Laguna is taking one of the newer models to Galbadia to talk to President Deling." Selphie reported

Of course! Why didn't I think of that? I could have just gone to see him and demand Rinoa back! Dammit!

Squall nodded.

"Tell the others we leave in 15 minutes. Prompt. If they aren't there I'm leaving without them." Squall said.

Without waiting for any sort of reply he turned away from Selphie and closed the door. He went into his en-suite bathroom and started the shower. He slid off his jacket and gloves and stared, entranced, at the water that was cascading from the shower hose.

_Rinoa…_

The glass on the shower began to mist up, which broke Squall off from his trance as he could no longer see the water. He took of his remaining clothes and slipped into the shower.

* * *

"How was he?" Asked a concerned Quistis

"Not good. He looked as if he barely slept. And he was really cranky." Selphie answered

"This is the worst thing that could have happened…" Zell stated.

The gang nodded in silence. They waited outside the Ragnarok for Squall.

"Why do you think he took her?" Selphie asked

"Deling said he wanted her executed. That she was dangerous. I guess he couldn't wait any longer. He saw his chance and took it." Quistis replied

They stood in silence again.

Executed…

The word rang through each of their minds. Executed… Executed…

"What… What do you… What think Squall'll do? When he finds Rinoa?" Selphie said slowly

"Or even if he sees Ronan." Irvine added

Quistis shook her head. It was hard to tell. In all her years, she had never seen Squall like this before. None of them had. Who knew how he would react?

Squall came up to them, a look of pure determination upon his face.

"Let's go." Is all he said as he walked up the ramp and onto the Ragnarok.

The others cast each other worried looks, then followed on board.

* * *

He slammed his fist onto the polished Oak desk.

"Why?" He demanded

"Because it had to be done."

"You don't know that. You don't know her! She is the purest girl I have ever met! There isn't an evil bone in her body!" He said angrily

"President Loire, I am going to have to ask you to calm down." Said Ronan Deling, as he sat calmly in his plush, black leather chair.

When Laguna had heard from Quistis about what happened, he had raced to Galbadia to see Ronan Deling. Laguna stared furiously at Deling's smugly calm face. Laguna slowly sat back down in his chair opposite Deling.

"That's better." Deling said smugly, "Now, I think you and I both know that Sorceresses are not good. They are _evil_. Look at Adel, who practically enslaved this entire world. You know better than anyone about her atrocities. And Edea, who _murdered_ many, including my own father. And not to even mention Ultimecia. Look at them and tell me that Sorceresses are not evil."

"Rinoa's… different… to them." Laguna said quietly, staring at the floor.

"Yes… She is."

Laguna looked up at the President, confused.

"She's worse. She has more power than Adel, or Edea. She has to be stopped."

"She doesn't! She really isn't evil! She never wanted this power! She hardly ever uses it!"

"But she does use it. She may not use it that often now. But power… power is like a drug. It pulls you in. She has too much power. One day, she'll think; oh, why not use a little of my power. It won't hurt anyone. And then she'll use a little bit more… and then a little bit more… And all this time her overall power is growing."

"It won't be like that. She would never use her power for evil, only to protect those she loved!" Laguna defended

"Was she protecting the ones she loved from the man she slaughtered? When she removed his heart?"

Laguna could say nothing.

"Come on Loire, how was she protecting them from that harmless stranger who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Huh?"

"…I don't know…"

"Exactly. You don't know. None of us know why she did it, why she killed him for no reason."

"You don't even know she did it!" Laguna retorted

"How can you not? She was sitting there covered in his blood, the body at her lap! She was angry, and upset. So she ran into this man in the alley and decided to take out her anger on someone else!" Deling taunted

"STOP IT!" Laguna roared, "She didn't do it!"

The two President's stared at each other in silence for several long moments.

"Loire, why don't you leave the running of your country to you, and leave me to run mine. This is none of your concern."

"It will be when the time comes for you to seal her away. We both know that only Esthar has those capabilities." Laguna answered

"That won't be a problem. We aren't going to seal her away. She has to be stopped. _Permanently_."

* * *

Rinoa sat in her dark cell, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head tilted back against the stone wall behind her. It had been a long night. She hadn't gotten much sleep, and that sleep she did manage to get was mostly involuntary and didn't last long. Usually when she fell asleep by accident. Her muscles were cramped from disuse. She didn't know what time it was. She only knew it was morning because of a small hole in the wall where she could see day changing into night, and then back into day.

Something inside her suddenly welled up and rose quickly up her throat. Rinoa turned quickly to her side and put her head near the cold, wet floor. Her mouth opened and vomit came out. She panted a little and then vomited again. She stayed in this position for a moment before realising that she wasn't going to be sick again. She sat up like she was a moment ago and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand.

Tears rolled down her cheeks from her red eyes. She was surprised she could cry anymore. She had already shed so many tears she thought she would shrivel away like a prune if she shed any more tears. She ran a cold hand through her hair. The light that came in through the window in the door flickered, drawing Rinoa's attention. There was a click as the door unlocked and swung open. In came a guard with a tray. He was wearing a uniform that she didn't recognise. It was dark green with a blood red breastplate. On the breastplate was a strange symbol she did not recognise either. It was that of an eye with a strange symbol, like that of a Chinese or Japanese symbol, in it's centre, in the pupil.

He bent down and set the metal tray on the ground in front of her. It had more bread and water on it, but with something new this time. This time there was a chicken leg as well.

_Wow, this sure is luxury_, Rinoa thought sarcastically as she watched the guard with keen interest.

He took the other tray into his hands and made his way out of the room.

"LET ME GO!" Rinoa screamed at him as he left, "PLEASE! LET ME OUT!"

The guard stopped where he was and looked over his shoulder at the young sorceress. He set the tray down on the wooden table in one corner and went back to Rinoa, who watched him with bated breath. He stood staring down at her, and she up at him. Suddenly his arm shot out and his hand swept across her face, colliding with her pale cheek. Rinoa gasped in shock and clutched her cheek. After a moment, as her eyes stung with tears that she refused to let fall, she turned to look at him again.

"No one's comin' to save ya princess. Get used to this, while ya still have breath in ya." The guard snickered.

As he turned to leave, picking the tray up off the table on his way out, Rinoa didn't say anything or move a millimetre. She still refused to let any tears fall and bit them back, but she still held a shaking hand over her red cheek where he had struck her. Her mind was churning at what the guard had said.

_What did he mean by while I still have breath? What are they going to do with me? Who was he? I didn't recognise that uniform from any of the Galbadian army uniforms… Why are they doing this? … Why… Why hasn't Squall come yet? What's keeping him…? Squall…_

She lowered head, just staring at the tray in front of her.

_Squall… I_ need _you…_

She silently pleaded.

* * *

_Squall…_

Squall raised his head. They were sitting in the lobby of Presidential Residence in Deling City. They had been refused access to see Ronan Deling yet. They all sat in awkward silence. Zell had been pacing back and forth before finally sitting down in one of the chairs; Quistis was just staring at the floor, her fingers playing with each other in her lap; Irvine sat with his arm around Selphie and his hat tipped low so you couldn't see his eyes; Selphie just sat there, tapping her feet nervously and biting her lip; and Squall was just completely lost in his thoughts.

_Squall… I need you…_

There it was again. Her voice. He could have sworn he heard her voice.

_No, that's impossible. You're imagining things Leonhart. It wasn't her… You just need more sleep… Rinoa…_

The secretary's intercom buzzed, drawing everyone's attention. The dark haired secretary paid the five no attention and picked up the intercom's phone for privacy.

"Yes sir?" She said in her calm and welcoming voice, her misleading voice that made everything seem okay when it wasn't, "Yes sir… Of course sir, one moment." She said and put down the receiver.

She turned to the group who were just staring at her.

"President Deling said you may enter now." She said to the group.

A little relieved, but not much, the five stood up and made their way to the door just past the secretary's desk.

"Hold on. Only two of you can enter." She said as the group reached her desk.

"What?" Zell asked angrily.

"Only two of you may enter. There is not enough room for all of you and President Deling said only two may see him." The secretary responded calmly

"So who's gonna go in with Squall then?" Selphie said.

There was no question that Squall was going into the office, no one even had to say it. The other four looked at one another in silence.

"I think it should be you Quisty." Irvine suggested, "You're the calmest and brainiest of all of us." He leaned towards Quistis and whispered, "And you can handle Squall better than us three."

Selphie and Zell nodded. Quistis thought about it for a moment then nodded in agreement. Squall went over to the door of the President's Office, with Quistis behind him and opened the door. Irvine, Selphie and Zell watched them disappear into the office anxiously.

* * *

Laguna was still standing staring at Ronan Deling, his arms resting on the desk. The door behind him opened, drawing his attention. Turning he saw Squall enter with Quistis. He was a little relieved to see them there, but also a little troubled.

"Ah, Mr. Leonhart." Ronan said with a sly smile, standing up and offering out his hand to shake Squall's.

Squall just looked at Ronan and didn't move. Unperturbed, Ronan turned to Quistis.

"And Miss…?" He asked, holding out his hand to her to.

"Trepe. Quistis Trepe." She said coldly, ignoring his hand like Squall did.

"Nice to meet you Miss Tre-"

"Where is she?" Demanded Squall, cutting Ronan off.

Ronan looked at Squall.

"Well, Mr. Leonhart, if you would sit down. President Loire and I were just-"

"Where?" Squall demanded again, angrier and louder this time.

"Patience, Mr. Leonhart, patience." Ronan said coldly and evilly.

"I think he has been patient enough Deling." Laguna said

Ronan turned to look at Laguna, then back at Squall. He surveyed Squall for a moment, his anger, his desperation, his grief. Ronan looked at Laguna again and nodded.

"Where is she?" Squall demanded again

"Squall, calm down!" Quistis said, placing a hand on Squall's shoulder

"WHERE!" He shouted, shrugging off Quistis's hand on his shoulder and stepping towards Ronan

"Squall! Shouting and getting worked up will not help Rinoa! Now calm! Down!" Quistis said angrily, stepping in front of Squall and into his line of vision.

Squall stared at her crossly, then looked away realising she was right. She was always right.

_Why does she always have to be right?_ He thought irritably

"Where is she Deling?" Laguna asked more calmly, but still sounding angry

"Safe. Where she can't cause any more damage." Ronan answered

"She wouldn't cause damage! She isn't like that! She's good!" Squall replied desperately.

"Wouldn't cause damage? Pah! Just like she didn't cause damage at the Ball? Just like she didn't kill that man?" Ronan fought back

"That wasn't her fault!" Quistis replied

"Who's fault was it then? Huh? She is the only Sorceress on this planet! Who else could have enough power to do that?" The three of them stood in silence at Ronan's question, "Exactly. No one. And even if there was, isn't it a bit of a coincidence that it happened when she was in her Sorceress trance?"

"…There… There must have been… Someone…Something making her do it." Squall said defensively.

Ronan snorted doubtfully.

"Can't we at least see her?" Quistis asked after a short pause.

"No!" Ronan replied instantly, a look of terror in his eyes, "I mean, no. Of-Of course not! That's preposterous!" He quickly corrected

All three of them gave him looks of non-understanding and shock. As if they were saying, 'What! Why not!'

"She is dangerous and I don't want you breaking her out of where she is being kept or putting ideas in her head or anything else that would help her." Ronan said in a voice as if it was obvious what he saying.

"If she is so dangerous how are controlling her powers?" Quistis asked, "Galbadia doesn't have the resources to nullify the powers that a Sorceress holds. How are you managing to suppress them? A simple anti-magic barrier like that of the D- District Prison won't work. "

Ronan looked at her with a look of dangerous curiosity.

"That, I believe, is none of your business."

"No, I wanna know what sick things you are doing to my girlfriend." Squall said through gritted teeth.

"Girlfriend?" Ronan laughed, "Ha! She's a sorceress! And what's more, you're a SeeD. And what is SeeD's aim? To _kill_ Sorceresses! Not date them!" Ronan said incredulously.

"Answer the question." Squall replied, trying his hardest to remain calm.

Ronan looked at them all.

"I told you, that's none of you-"

"Bullshit." Squall said, "I want to know how you are controlling her magic, Galbadia doesn't have the resources Esthar has! The only thing Galbadia has is-" Squall stopped short… A realisation came over him. "The only thing Galbadia has is that injection your men, the As'cum, gave her in Timber… The thing that could have _killed_ her." Squall said angrily.

Ronan and Squall stared at each other.

"Don't tell me you are using that on her?" Squall said.

Ronan just stared intently at him, not saying a word.

"Oh my god…" Quistis whispered, putting a hand over her mouth in shock.

* * *

_Okay, that's it for this chapter. I'll try and post a new one in the next few days, hopefully! Sorry that it's a bit of a crap ending and a crap cliffie, but anyway. It's slightly longer than usual, by like a page. :P Hope you enjoyed it! Reviewers Review!_


	16. The Maybe Not So Great Escape

**Chapter 16 – The Maybe Not-So-Great Escape**

_Authors Note: Hey guys. Thanks for all of your reviews! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. But I've been pretty busy. Exams and revision being a large factor. But here's the chapter you've been looking forward too.

* * *

_

Ronan stared at them all.

_Fuck, _He thought, _I knew this was a bad idea. They're going to find out far too much. I've already almost blown my cover. If I do so again, Morgana'll blow my butt all the way to the DSRC. _

"You didn't have to take her away like that" Laguna said after a minute of awkward silence.

"Really? You were all going to just hand her over?" Ronan asked doubtfully

"No… but Rinoa can control her powers." Quistis said and at this Ronan snorted, "Well, usually. And if she does lose it, Squall can always manage to bring her back. She doesn't need to be…" Quistis paused, she couldn't bring herself to say it, "We've managed to control her powers so far, we can do it again."

"I don't think so. It only takes one little thing to push her too far over the edge." Ronan retorted

"Deling, can't we negotiate?" Laguna said exasperated.

"No." Ronan replied instantly

"But-"

"You can't do this." Squall said through gritted teeth, "If you do this then you'll have the whole of SeeD to face."

"Squall, please, don't say anything more." Laguna pleaded, turning to face him

"Squall, don't say anything you'll regret later." Quistis whispered softly in his ear.

"Are you threatening me?" Ronan asked, raising an eyebrow

"Please… Just let me see her…" Squall said, pouring out his emotions, his soul, into this heart-felt plea

Ronan sighed and looked at the desk.

"No." Ronan said, smiling evilly as he raised his head.

"LET ME SEE HER DAMMIT! LET HER GO!" Squall roared angrily making for Ronan and reaching for his gunblade

Laguna and Quistis both yelled for Squall to stop and calm down, but they could barely be heard over Squall's bellowing for Ronan to let Rinoa go. They both grabbed Squall's arms and pulled with all of their might to keep Squall from getting any closer to Ronan. Their tight grip on his arms also prevented him from reaching his gunblade. Ronan just stood there smugly as the President of Esthar and SeeD pulled him out of the room, kicking and screaming.

* * *

Irvine, Selphie and Zell were waiting anxiously once again. Waiting to hear from Squall and Quistis. Zell had resumed his pacing once again, Selphie was resting her elbows on her knees and biting her finger nails, and Irvine was sitting there, trying to look calm on the outside while it was a completely different story on this inside.

The soundproof office door burst open and the first thing they knew was Squall's screaming at the top of his voice. They all turned to look and saw Quistis and Laguna struggling to pull Squall out of there as he struggled to get out of their grip. The secretary stood up in alarm but had enough common sense not to try and stop the scene.

Irvine and Zell rushed forward and helped pull Squall away. Ronan Deling appeared in the doorway, grinning smugly and evilly, watching the scene.

"Carmen, please make sure our guests our escorted out of the building." Ronan said, closing the office door.

Carmen, the secretary, nodded and turned to the group. Squall was still angry but now that Ronan had disappeared back inside of his office, he had stopped screaming and shouting.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave or I will be forced to call security." Carmen said boldly, shaking inside out of fear.

"C'mon Squall, let's get out of here." Quistis said reassuringly

Squall just stood there in silence, hanging his head. They stood there in silence, waiting for him.

"Squall…" Selphie said "There's nothing more we can do here."

"Yeah man, let's just get outta here." Zell added.

"You just need some rest and we'll figure out what to do in the morning." Irvine added as well

A Galbadian Officer came up behind them.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave or you will be forcibly removed." The Officer said

Everyone but Squall looked at him, then back at Squall, knowing they had to go but waiting for Squall to move. They moved towards the exit, hoping Squall would follow their example. But they turned around when they realised Squall wasn't following them. The Officer went over to Squall and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, I said-"

Squall turned around and powerfully punched the Officer in the face. The Officer fell limply to the floor, instantly unconscious.

"I heard you." Squall grumbled, stepping over the Officer's unconscious form and pushing past the others to the exit.

The others looked at the unconscious guard, cast each other worried looks then followed Squall outside.

* * *

Rinoa pulled vainly at her chains, hoping with the last sliver of her being that maybe, _just maybe_, the loop that the chains went through might pull off the wall and she would be free. She could escape this fucking prison cell and escape this hell of… where ever she was. This prison could be in the middle of the ocean for all she cared, Ultimecia herself could be guarding it, but she didn't care. As long as she could escape and get back to Squall, then she would keep hoping. That was what kept her going since she was captured.

The door burst open and slammed against the wall, rebounded and slowly shuddered back round the open doorway. The door was almost close again when a hand shot out and pushed the door against the wall, holding it there for several minutes so it would remain open. A soldier staggered in, his balance non-existant. He leaned against the door frame, swaying. Rinoa was sure that at any moment he would just fall flat on the floor. She watched him with curiosity.

His breathing was a little heavier than usual, but not to noticeable. He moved sluggishly forward towards her. His head was dropped and locks of rich brown hair escaped his helmet. His uniform was messy and worn untidily. His breastplate hung ruggedly from his body and his clothes were full of creases. Every step he took was laboured and his feet were dragged across the stone floor. His back was arched and his arms hung limply down. He walked as if her were limping, a quick footstep followed by a slow one. Quick, slow, Quick slow. Sometimes it became Quick, quick, slow. Like a dance step.

He approached Rinoa. He fell on to the floor a few feet from her and she looked at him in bewilderment and disgust. He lay there for a few long moments before rising to knees and crawling awkwardly over to him. He raised himself up slightly so he was crouching on his haunches. His face was near hers and he stared into her eyes. She pulled her head as far back against the wall as it could go without shattering against the stonework. His breath _reeked_ of alcohol. He was drunk, that explained everything perfectly. Just the smell of his breath made her feel sick again.

He suddenly leaned in a kissed Rinoa on the lips. Rinoa screwed up her face in disgust and immediately tried pushing him away but he won't budge. If anything, it made him press his lips harder onto hers. She managed to twist her legs around and raise one. It involved a lot of flexibility and was very hard, but she managed to rise it onto his chest and forcefully push him away. He stumbled back awkwardly as she gasped for breath. She had held her breath for so long, and breathing through your nose can only help so much.

"Why ya li'l-" He slurred, starting towards her angry at being rejected.

Once he was in range of her legs, she brought her right leg up swiftly from underneath. Her leg collided with his groin and he bent over in pain. He crutched his crotch and bent over, his head in the perfect position and reaching distance. Rinoa didn't waste any time and swiftly brought her right leg up again, this time her foot striking the side of his head. He fell onto the floor unconscious. As he painfully his the floor, a set of shiny objects that filled Rinoa with renewed hope fell out of his pocket and landed on the floor with a _clink!_

His keys.

Rinoa couldn't help but smile and hurriedly leaned forward as far as possible and reached out as far as her chains would allow her. They may be quite long to allow her to sleep, but the keys were just to far away. Rinoa bit her lip and thought carefully. She brought her legs around and reached out with her toes, just to touch the keys. She was filled with excitement and anticipation when she managed to reach them with the toe of her army boots. She awkwardly twisted her toes so that she could pull the keys towards her. She managed it, barely. It was slow work at first, but she soon had the keys within reach.

There were no words to describe how happy she felt then. The closest would be: blissfully ecstatic. Rinoa fumbled around with the keys, trying each of the several different shaped keys into one of the two-inch-long cuffs around her wrists. She finally found the right one and unlocked the left cuff, followed quickly by the right one. She rubbed her wrists in that cliché way people do in films when they've just had handcuffs taken off of them. Like that.

She got to her feet, but had to put a hand out to the wall to steady herself against the rising nausea and dizziness. Once she was sure she was okay, she hurried past the groaning, barely-conscious guard lying on the floor and out the open doorway. She stuck her head out of the doorway first, to check the coast was clear and was glad to see there was no one there. The corridor was made out of the same stone as her cell, only more well taken care of. And the corridor was much airier than her cell, and less damp, and the air wasn't stale. The corridor went left and right, and neither way seemed to have a better hint at which way to go than the last. Rinoa bit her lip again, and tried going left. If nothing else she could always double back. She ran quickly and quietly down the corridor, pausing at every corner to make sure no one was coming or guarding the way.

She met no one as she ran. The doors she passed were all the same as her own, as she guessed they were all prison cells like her own. She carried on through the corridors, until she reached a different door at the end of corridor that descended a little. She ran down the two short flights of stairs to the door. She tried the handle, but the door wouldn't move. She pulled the keys out of her pocket and tried each key until she found the correct one.

She slowly opened the door and peered around the room. She seemed to be in a large antechamber. It had high patterned ceiling and was full of light that filtered in from the large floor-to-ceiling windows on the right hand side. There were statues in each of the alcoves that spread the length of the long room on the left hand side of the room, and there were portraits of people and places Rinoa couldn't recognise in between the alcoves. There were fancy sofas and artefacts in glass cases and on marble stands that filled up the room also. After gazing in awe around the room, Rinoa moved over to the nearest window and her jaw dropped at the view.

She could see luscious green pastures, and full fragrant forests and meadows all around. In the distance were some mountains and there was a large and beautiful river flowing also. Even though she was never very good at Geography, and she couldn't get a real lay of the land from her vantage point, Rinoa couldn't tell where in the world this was. Rinoa bathed in the warm light and took in the views for a few minutes.

She managed to pull herself away and moved down the corridor. Every step she took echoed all around the room. When she finally reached the end of the very long chamber, she found a fancy looking door. It was painted white and fancy and mysterious beautiful gold symbols and decoration around the outside. Painted in gentle colours, was a beautiful young girl, no older than Rinoa herself, standing in a picturesque landscape. The girl was absolutely astounding and the picture looked so life-like. Despite her beauty and the amazing landscape around her, the girl looked sad.

Rinoa tried the handle and was surprised to find it unlocked. She slowly turn the gold handle and pushed the door open slightly. She could her nothing inside of the room and proceeded to enter it. The room was unlike the others. It was darker, the only light from a window on the wall to her left. There were bookshelves, sofas, a cauldron, all sorts in this room. Rinoa closed the door, and was surprised to find the door completely different on this side. It was made of dark wood and had a black, metal door loop handle. She had a look at some of the books on the shelves, they had strange titles like, _Spells and Charms to Kill _and _The Booke of Dark Incantations of Necron_.

Rinoa heard the voices and the door handle turning too late. She swore under her breath and looked for a hiding places. Within seconds she had dived behind the far sofa out of view. She just knew she was going to be discovered. She crossed her fingers, bit her lip, and waited.

* * *

_Sorry, it's a little bit shorter than usual. But at least I'm updating and as I explained at the top I've had exams and stuff on. It probably won't be until the summer hols until I can update again. But I'll try. And I hope you liked the FFIX reference in there. :P Reviewers Review!_


	17. Dream World Visitor

**Chapter 17 – Dream World Visitor**

_Authors Note: Okay, so the summer holidays FINALLY arrived, as is another chapter of ToF. But just as swiftly as the summer holidays arrived, they've ended. I've had a great summer, and I hope you guys did too. Thanks for your reviews and support, keep 'em coming and I'll keep writing the story! On with the chapter!_

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The door handle turned and the heavy door creaked open. Voices floated into the room, accompanied by footsteps. There were a set of lighter footsteps, and Rinoa distinctively recognised the sound of high-heeled shoes. The other set of footsteps, for there were only two, were heavier, indicating a male presence also. The woman's footsteps sounded more relaxed and idle while the man's sounded more worried and purposeful.

"So you are sure everything went according to plan? They have no idea you are involved in any of this?" Said the woman's voice, accompanied by the sound of material, which Rinoa assumed was the woman sitting down.

"Yes, my Lady. The fools had no idea what had become of her. And your spell is working a treat." Said the man in a smug tone, his voice sounded so familiar to Rinoa, but she could not place where she had heard it before.

Rinoa bent down further as slowly, quietly and cautiously as possible. From the gap underneath the sofa she could the two pairs of feet. One of the pairs of feet, the green stiletto shoes of the woman, was clearly sitting on the sofa behind which Rinoa hid. The other pair of feet belonging to the man could be seen standing behind the opposite sofa, his polished black shoes twitching nervously ever so slightly.

"Of course it is. My magic is beyond their understanding. That art has fallen into the forgotten pits of history. They have never heard of it and have no defence from it. You have done well, you may sit." Replied the woman

Rinoa heard a relieved and almost excited gasp and saw the man's feet move from standing behind the sofa to standing in front of it and then sitting on the sofa.

"So what do we do next?" He asked

"You are to continue as you are. Perform your ordinary every-day tasks; they mustn't suspect you of anything. If they persist in their search of the little sorceress, inform me immediately. I shall deal with them. I'm sure his temper will keep them busy for a while yet, if not get them into more trouble."

_Search of the little sorceress? _Rinoa thought. _She must mean me! Then they're talking about Squall and the others! They're looking for me! Thank Hyne! _

"You should have seen him though Morgana. He was so distraught and angry that he even punched one of my security guards. Your spell is amazing. That stuck-up little Knight and his friends will never suspect you or me." 

Knight? Squall? What have they done to Squall? Fuck, I need to get out of here before they cause more damage. Whatever spell that witch and her little henchman have cast must be stopped!

"And they should not. At least not until I am ready. She is all alone now, and when I gaze upon her on the water's surface she is sad and cries. That is perfect. If she is willing to give up her powers then my plan can progress faster than expected, but that can only happen if she believes no one is coming for her."

"Since you mentioned it Morgana, when do I-"

"SILENCE RONAN!" The woman bellowed, with unusual power

Ronan! That's who the man is! The little wretch! I'd almost forgotten him. I thought he was behind this, but clearly he's working for someone else… But who the hell is she? He called her Morgana, but I've never heard of her before… Huh, like father like son – neither can resist the allure of power.

"I grow tired of your constant ramblings for your reward you little snake!" Morgana roared.

"I-I-I am sorry, Morgana. I beg your forgiveness." Ronan whimpered.

"As I have told you many times before, and I shall tell you only once more, you shall get your reward when I have what I want." Morgana answered venomously.

"Of course, Morgana."

Rinoa felt a queasiness rising inside her stomach. Although she knew it was most likely from the lack of food and running around during the early hours of the morning, she couldn't help but wonder if it was their topic of discussion and her fears of their plans for her that made her ill. If she had her powers then it wouldn't be a problem. There was clearly an anti-magic barrier in the prison area, but she could feel that it was lifted here; she couldn't feel that slight nudge on her mind that suppressed magic. Most people couldn't feel it, and Rinoa only assumed that she could barely sense its presence because of her Sorceress powers. Right now, she had to hope that Ronan and this mysterious Morgana would leave before discovering her presence.

---------

Squall was in no better mood on the journey back. Although he was still silently angry, he wasn't as angry as he had been back in Deling's office. He stayed away from the others on the Ragnarok, sitting by himself in one of the hangars. When someone entered a room he left, without giving them time to even breathe. He knew what they would say if he gave them the chance. They would tell him he was overreacting and that hope was not lost. He knew he had overreacted in Deling's office and when he had punched the guard, but it felt so fucking good.

Dark marks the colour of a terrible storm raged under his eyes, the only sign of just how exhausted he felt. He had barely slept. When he closed his eyes he could only see her. Sometimes what he saw were wonderful memories he had of her; standing and talking in Edea's field, sitting with his arm around her on Balamb's beach, kissing her on the balcony, that night in Esthar. Sometimes all he saw was her pale skin, her stunning chocolate coloured eyes, her raven hair, and her adorable smile. But sometimes… sometimes he imagined what torture and ill treatment she might have been suffering at that moment, the pain and sadness she must be feeling. He couldn't stand it.

They arrived back at Balamb Garden in the early hours of the morning and Squall stormed back to his dorm room, ignoring the others. The halls were empty, as he had expected. He slammed his door shut and leaned against the back of it, hanging his head. He cast his gaze around the room. His black gunblade case leaning against the desk, his neatly made bed, his organized books – signs of his personality and his military training. But she still had her influence here, primarily in pictures. Pictures of her; of the two of them; of the whole group. She always looked gorgeous and bubbly, with a smile on her face, while he was stiff and stern looking.

He turned away from the photos and lay on his bed, his eyes pressed tightly shut. He rolled onto his side, curling his legs up and leaning his head on his bent left arm. He lay like this before quickly drifting off asleep.

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_He was standing in the ballroom, although it was empty now. It was dark, only low candlelight casting any light. There was a cold draft that sent shivers up his spine. He looked around. Standing on the balcony with her back to him was Rinoa. The breeze blew through her raven hair, and she leaned on the stonewall looking at the stars. He went a few steps forward, his footsteps echoing all around him. He stopped after a few steps as she turned and looked at him. Her face was full of sorrow and hope. She opened her mouth and said something, but he couldn't hear what she said. She carried on talking, like she was telling him something deadly important, but still he could not hear her words._

_Then a black shadow appeared out of the darkness and slowly began to swirl around her ankles, trapping her. The shadow swirled and spun its way up her body yet Rinoa paid it no heed, imploring him with silent words. She extended her right arm towards him, her hand curled into a fist. Suddenly from her fist dropped the chain she wore around her neck, her mother's wedding band and Griever dangling there illuminated in the moonlight. The shadow by this time had wrapped itself around her other arm and her cheat and began to curl around her arm and neck. Rinoa said nothing now, only looked at him solidly._

_As the shadow was about to finally engulf her hand and her face, Squall drew his gunblade and rushed forward. The only part of her visible now was the fingertips from which her chain loosely dangled. As he approached the shadow suddenly grew and extended in all directions, yet Rinoa's fingertips and her chain remained visible still. Squall slashed at the shadows, yet his blade only went through dark smoke that reformed as soon as the blade passed. He lunged and slashed at the darkness but to no avail. He thrust his sword one more time and felt it encounter something hard and slide in as if he had encountered a sponge._

_The shadows suddenly dispersed in a puff of dark smoke, as a light 'cling' reached Squall's ears. He looked horror struck. He looked down at the gunblade with blood staining the lower half, he looked at the chain lying forgotten on the ground, and then he looked back at the lifeless body of Rinoa with a sword wound in her gut where he had stabbed her. Just as he was absorbing this disturbing scene, it dissolved in front of him and he found himself propelled forward._

_Now he stood at the beach. A quick look up the shore at the lighthouse on the rocky shoreline told him it was the beach at the orphanage. This felt… different. It didn't feel like he was dreaming anymore. He didn't have his gunblade anymore either. What was going on? Just as he thought this he heard a voice behind him._

_"Squall, I'm glad you came." Said the familiar female voice._

_Squall wheeled round and saw her. She looked much better now, much different to how she looked ill in hospital. She had colour in her cheeks and life in her eyes._

_"Ellone?" He asked, confused. "But… I thought you were in Esthar?"_

_"I am." She said simply_

_"Then, what the hell is going on?" Squall asked._

_"I contacted you while you were asleep. Like I have before, only this time I managed to create a location for us to meet. I wanted to see your face."_

_"You've never been able to do this before…"_

_"No, I know. But… I don't have much time left, and I feared not being able to see you and tell you things. It takes a lot of energy to do this, energy I can sparsely spare."_

_"Then don't. You'll be okay, I know you will." Squall said, he didn't want to lose her._

_"I need to. Squall, I tried to tell you when I last contacted you, but… I was stopped."_

_"Stopped? By who?" Squall asked, it might have something to do with Rinoa!_

_"The person who caused my coma, though I did not realise it straight away. When I collapsed, I saw images, things I did not, and still do not, fully understand. But I know they were of the future, a surprise even for me. I view the past, not the future. I was in darkness for I don't know how long, before a consciousness touched mine, which scared me. They told me of their plans and why this had happened. I don't know why they told me, they mustn't have thought I would be able to contact you."_

_"Who?"_

_"… Her name is Morgana. Squall, you must be wary of her for she wields great power. And you must, _must_ Squall, protect Rinoa. I know she means her harm and that she can use methods to reach Rinoa that you cannot sense." Ellone said; Squall was silent._

_"…Rinoa's gone. The new Galbadian president, Ronan Deling, he took her. A lot's happened. But… basically they came and they took her and we don't know where and we can't find her." Squall said angrily, after a long silence._

_"Squall…" Ellone said softly, looking genuinely apologetic, "I'm so sorry. But I doubt this is coincidence. She has a castle somewhere, but I do not know its location. Also, ask Odine about magical discrepancies and the Odine magic supersonic. Basically, Magic Flux." Ellone said, saying it slowly so Squall would remember._

_"…Right." Squall said, committing the words to memory. "What about you?"_

_"There's nothing you can do for me. Not yet at least. Just find Rinoa and stop Morgana. But be on your guard. Lies and deceit are around every corner, and what I saw of the future looks…" Ellone couldn't finish._

_"Don't worry. I'll stop her, I'll save Rinoa, and then I'll come and save you."_

_"Thank you Squall." She paused then grinned weakly, adding, "Fly quickly. There is more than one life at stake if you fail." When Squall looked at her inquiringly she merely shook her head. "I'll send you back now, if you're ready. I don't think there is anything else I can tell you – you must work out the rest yourself."_

_"I'm ready. I won't fail."_

_"And go easy on them Squall, it's not their fault and it's not yours." They both knew she referred to Quistis and the others."_

_"Okay then. Oh, and Squall? Tell Uncle Laguna… tell him I wasn't afraid?" She said with a slight quiver in her voice and her eyes brimming with tears, "Tell him I love, and that he shouldn't blame himself if… if I…"_

_"I will."_

_"And pass my love onto the others also." Ellone added, her voice firmer, and Squall nodded. "Okay, fly swiftly Squall and trust in the Lion. Beware of your dreams." She added at the end, almost as if she knew what dream she had pulled him from._

_Squall was about to ask her what she meant when the beach dissolved into darkness, and the darkness gave way to the light of his dorm room._

------------

Rinoa was half listening to their conversation as they talked of things she did not understand and did not seem relevant. She heard Ronan mention the word 'taxes' and 'development' and rolled her eyes. What did this have to do with anything? She was trying to think of what she could do with her limited magical abilities. She would be lucky to perform a weak Thunder spell that felt anything more than static electricity.

Rinoa was surprised she had remained hidden so long. How long had she been there? An hour? Two? She couldn't tell, she had no watch and could see no clocks. Why did the bad guys announce the time every so often when you were hiding from them and you needed them to? Honestly. She was also surprised that the guard she had fought in her cell hadn't alerted anyone by now.

"So what's the next step?" Asked Ronan, "Is it nearly time?"

"Almost. The new moon is in two nights after next, then I shall have what I desire." Morgana replied smugly.

Rinoa didn't know what they meant, but she just knew it spelled bad news for her. She heard a pop and the caw of a bird.

"Shalrock? Who are you to disturb a private meeting without warning?" Morgana asked.

Rinoa heard more cawing from the bird, and wondered what it was doing? How did Morgana expect a response? It was a bird after all.

"Really, is that so?" Morgana said curiously.

"What? What did your pet raven have to say?" Ronan asked

"It seems we have an unexpected, and quite shy, visitor. Why don't you come say hello dear?" Morgana said, then Rinoa heard the click of fingers.

Suddenly, Rinoa's limbs stiffened and she could feel some foreign force controlling her. Her body was lifted into the air slowly, her torso first until her legs dangled below her. Her body floated through the air, around the sofa which she had hid behind until she floated between the two sofas.

"The Sorceress?" Ronan said, dumbfounded.

"Why, hello Rinoa." Morgana said, smirking.

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_Okay, that's it for another chapter of Tears of Fate. Please review! I love getting reviews, even if they are bad ones criticising me – which thankfully I have not really had. Reviewers – on your mark! Get set! Write!_


	18. Disagreements

**Chapter 18 – Disagreements**

_Authors' Note: Sorry I haven't worked of Tears of Fate in like 6 months. But school's just been so, so busy last term. Piles of coursework and then my GCSE mocks. But I got 2 more reviews for Tears in the past week or so which made me want to update again. So here I am, working on my story again.

* * *

_

Squall Leonhart walked the corridors of Garden as if in a dream. He mulled over the conversation he had had with Ellone the night before, for he had no doubt it was really her. A woman named Morgana, Rinoa, premonitions, Magic Flux, the disturbing dream he had had previously. It was all too much. Why? Why was this happening? He knew the students that passed him in the halls whispered about him and stared curiously at him and poorly tried to pretend that they didn't whisper and stare. But he didn't care. There were more important things right now than worrying what they all thought, not that he had really cared anyway.

_Like finding Rinoa… Wherever she may be. _

Squall stopped in his tracks, the Griever pendant bouncing against his chest and fragments of Ellone's message ringing his in mind.

"_Ask Odine about magical discrepancies… Magic Flux… Trust in the Lion… Beware of your dreams…" _

Trust in the Lion? Griever? It was his symbol, the symbol he wore on his pendant and which dangled from his Gunblade, the symbol which connected him to Rinoa through his ring. He liked to believe he was like Griever. Did she mean to trust in himself? Squall felt more determined and sure of himself than he had in days. His head was much clearer now. He spun around and charged off down the corridor, pushing past other students without a care in the world.

Squall entered the cafeteria and scanned the faces. He quickly located who he was looking for and strode over. Selphie, Irvine, Quistis and Zell were sitting at their usual table in deep discussion.

* * *

"That's bull and you know it Zell!" Selphie said angrily.

"It's not! He's changed! I think there's something wrong!" Zell fought back.

"Well of course something's wrong Zell! The girl of his dreams has been kidnapped by an evil dictator and we have no idea where to find her!"

"She wasn't kidnapped Selph."

"Well arrested, or captured or whatever Irvine. The point is: she was taken away from him. You can't blame the guy for being a little distressed."

"He's more than a little distressed. The guy's bipolar or something. One minute he's normal Squall – keeping everything locked up inside him and dealing with his pain to himself. Then 2 minutes later he's angry as hell and punching guys in the face!" Zell argued

"I fail to see the point you're trying to make Zell. He's just upset is all. He doesn't know how to handle it all. After Elle got taken away from him when he was a kid he got used to dealing with everything himself. Then he meets Rin and she begins to open him up. Now he's lost her, the one true ray of light who never abandoned him and he doesn't know how to cope."

"But it's more than that. I'm tellin' ya. Something's wrong. No matter how upset he was Squall wouldn't act that way."

"What? So know you're saying he's crazy?" Selphie said indignantly

"No way! Not crazy. Just… I dunno. Something just isn't right." Zell frowned.

Quistis sat quietly throughout the argument, stirring her coffee with her spoon even though it had long gone cold. She didn't want to get involved. Truth be told, she had wondered the same thing. Was something wrong with him? She had known him her entire life and he had never seen him act this way unless Seifer had backed him into a corner and probed him into acting this way. But Seifer wasn't here, he wasn't causing this wild shift in Squall's emotional state, no one was. So what other reason could there be? Quistis wanted to believe in Selphie's argument so much, but she doubted that even Squall could be so angry as to act this way. There _had _to be something causing this change. But _what_?

"We can argue the finer points of Squall's breakdown until kingdom comes, but that's not gonna get us anywhere." Irvine said calmly.

"Would if we got him a shrink." Zell mumbled so quietly that Quistis, who sat next to him, barely heard it.

"Zell! Irvine's right. You two arguing like a pair of three-year-olds isn't helping!" Quistis snapped in her instructor voice, causing the others to fall silent and look away, "Now, we need to concentrate on what _is_ important here."

"Finding Rinoa." Selphie said.

"Exactly. The thing is, where can we go from here?" Quistis replied.

"Well Deling was a bust. He didn't tell us a damn thing, but there's no doubt he knew something if he looked as smug as you said he did." Irvine sighed, "I spose I could always go talk to some people from Galbadia Garden. See if they know anything about him." He suggested.

"Maybe. What we really need is to find out where they're keeping her."

"We could always ask General Caraway?" Selphie suggested.

"Rinoa'd kill us in our sleep." Zell pointed out.

"Well it's better than nothing. He _must_ know by know that she's been taken. And since he is a General after all he might know where they've got her or be able to find out. No matter how much they fight, he's her dad after all. He can't want to see her get executed. I'm sure he'd help." Selphie explained.

"It's worth a try. But we'd have to run it past Squall. He really _would_ kill us." Quistis sighed.

"Speak of the devil. Literally." Zell said, looking at the entrance to the cafeteria where Squall had just stormed in.

Selphie slumped slightly in her chair and they all sympathised. None of them really wanted to deal with Squall right now, not with him being in such an emotional mess right now. Irvine put a reassuring arm around her and pulled her close towards him. Squall appeared beside the table, his chest heaving slightly as if he were just rushing about everywhere and looking at Selphie dead on.

"Selphie. Prepare the Ragnarok. I know where we have to go. I know how to find Rinoa." He said somewhat calmly, but the determination and certainty in his voice sounding clear.

The four of them just exchanged gob-smacked looks and looked back at Squall.

* * *

"Rinoa dear, didn't your father teach you anything? It's rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations." Morgana spoke in a steady, even voice.

"How did she get out?!" Ronan hissed

"That is an interesting question. How did you get out Rinoa?" Morgana asked the raven-haired girl who still hung in the air.

Rinoa said nothing, keeping her lips tightly locked together. Morgana's lips curled into a thin smile.

"No matter. Just remember, unused tongues have a tendency to be eaten by hungry ravens." Morgana said, and as if on cue the blood red raven behind her shifted from claw to claw.

"What should we do now though? She's heard too much! And she's seen me!" The anxiousness in Ronan's voice was unmistakeable.

"Ronan, who do honestly think she's going to tell? The spiders in her cell? She can't contact her little knight, and by the time they find out where she is it will all be too late. I shall tell you one final time, relax."

Ronan instantly fell quiet and obedient, but Rinoa could tell that he still worried. She could tell he was a proud man, a leader, the kind of man who wouldn't easily follow orders. That made her wonder who exactly this woman was who could so easily exert her power and suppress those around her.

"But I am just curious, my lady, what if Leonhart and the others find this place before the ritual?"

"That shall not happen."

"But-"

"Fear not. Everything is going according the schedule. They will not find this place until it is too late to do anything to stop us. Now go before you are missed." Morgana said.

Ronan rose from his seat and began to move towards the door, but stopped in front of Rinoa. He stared at her with a look of disgust and Rinoa held his gaze.

"I can't wait until tomorrow night when Morgana's completed her ritual and I can finally get what I want." He said in repulse, then leaning closer to her added, "Your head." And then left the room.

Even though she couldn't move, Rinoa could feel her skin quivering in fright. She tried to remain hopeful that Squall would find her, that he would rescue her like he did from the Sorceress Memorial or in space, but each passing hour let the doubt creeping further inside. He would find her and save her, he _would_.

Morgana watched the young sorceress for a moment and then clicked her fingers once more. Instantly, the door Ronan had exited through opened again and two guards entered.

"Take her back to her cell, and make sure that this time she does not escape. And Shalrock, find whoever is responsible and bring him to me for… punishment." Morgana ordered, and the raven cawed and disappeared once again like the Cheshire cat.

Rinoa felt the magic holding her in mid air give way and she fell roughly to the ground. She groaned in pain before the guards grabbed her by her arms and pulled her onto her feet. She struggled for a few moments, but their grip did not waver in the slightest. It was no use, she was too weak or they were too strong. Whichever it was, she couldn't escape their grasp. She let herself hang limp as they marched out the door she had come through and down the long marble corridor back to her cell. They may have seen her slightly defeated spirit, but they never saw the crystalline tear run down her cheek.

* * *

The fiery red space ship flew over the bare Estharian landscape and towards the mammoth city ahead of them. It glided smoothly up to the tall landing tower and hovered there for a few moments before slowly floating down. The ship shuddered slightly as it landed. The exit ramp lowered in a puff of steam and Squall walked off the Ragnarok; Quistis, Zell, Irvine and Selphie close behind.

It was not far to Odine's laboratory and the guards showed them straight to Odine.

"Ah, Mister Leonhart. I vaz not expecting you." The short man said as they entered, flinching slightly.

"Cut the crap Odine, that's not what we're here for." Squall said curtly.

"No. Of course not. Vat can I do for you?"

"Tell me about…" Squall paused as he remembered what Ellone had told him, "magical discrepancies… and something called the Odine Magic Supersonic."

Behind him, Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine cast each other confused looks but said nothing.

"Vat?! How did you find of about them?!" Odine gasped

"Just tell me what I need to know."

"Vell… For a long time now, I have been trying to develop a way of sensing any magic use on ze planet. But because so many people can cast magic my efforts vere not very successful and I could not differentiate all ze different magics."

Squall crossed his arms and shifted his weight onto one leg as if to tell Odine to hurry the hell up, a message which the doctor got loud and clear, clearing his throat uneasily.

"Vell, about two years ago I had a breakthrough! I invented ze Odine Magic Supersonic as you called it. I vas able to detect large concentrations of magic on ze planet. A few places I expected, such as ze Gardens and vhere ze Sorceress vas. Zat is vat ze Supersonic is."

"What's this got to do with changes in magic?"

"Vat?! You have not guessed?! Vhy do I get stuck vith ze imbeciles! Vat did I do to deserve zis!?" Odine cried out.

Squall took an angry step forward, but Zell grabbed his arm and stopped him, allowing Odine to continue without a black eye.

"Vell. Ze supersonic is always monitoring ze magic levels on ze planet for unusually strong concentrations, such as ven ze Sorceresses powers get out of control. But lately, I have been detecting odd power levels ven ze Sorceress has not been losing control of her magics and it is zis to vhich you are referring, no?"

"… I think so…"

"Since ze Sorceress is not ze cause of ze magical fluctuations, I have been at a loss to explain zem."

"Do you think you could track them? Find out where they are coming from?" Quistis asked, stepping forward slightly.

"Hmm… I suppose I could change ze programming to locate ze source. But it vill take several hours I think." Odine pondered, "You vill have to return in ze morning. Ooo! Zis is quite exciting, yes?"

"Just do it." Squall said.

"Yes yes! I shall get started right away!" Odine squealed then rushed over to his computer terminal and began ordering his aides about.

"C'mon Squall, if we're going to be here all night we should go talk to Laguna." Quistis said, putting a comforting arm on Squall's shoulder.

"…"

"Cheer up Squall! Odine'll find the source and we'll go and save Rinoa! It'll all be a-okay!" Selphie cheered.

Squall looked at the bouncy young girl. How could she be so positive when all hope had just about vanished? Every passing hour meant an increased chance they wouldn't get her back. Yet they all seemed hopeful, no matter the odds. She could be dead right now and they still smiled and laughed and acted their usual selves. Did they have no respect? Did they not understand how serious it was?

_Of course they do. But they understand something that I didn't until now. They have to keep positive, because until we find out where she is they have nothing else. Maybe I don't give these guys enough credit. _

Squall nodded at her which made Selphie smile even more. They filed out of Odine's office but Squall lingered a moment, staring at the Griever pendant that hung around his neck. He _would _find her, no matter the cost. He looked up and followed the others out of room and back into the city itself.

* * *

_Yarr, so that's another chapter over and done with. In a couple more chapters the pace'll pick up a bit as we get to an exciting bit! Again, sorry it took so long to reply but I've already explained why. I'm hoping to write lots more chapters though. But since I just got several new pieces of coursework with short deadlines it may take a little while. I'll post one when I can. Thanks for understanding you guys! Reviewers, off you go!_


	19. The Passage Of Time

**Chapter 19 – The Passage of Time**

_Author's Note: Again, I'm sorry for not writing in a while. But I've had some important exams and I have loads of work to do for them before that. Thanks for your reviews everyone. They somehow never fail to make me smile. Enough babble, on with the chapter!_

* * *

Squall looked out across the glowing Esthar city and up to the night sky above. The stars were barely visible above the synthetic glow coming from the city, but they were visible. The moon was a thin sliver in the dark sky and hung ominously above, as if judging them all. 

His mind kept trying to flashback to that night on the balcony, when Rinoa had talked of the stars, and of her mother. When Rinoa had lost control the first time and fallen. But Squall pushed the memories away. They would only cause him more pain and heartache, and he couldn't afford that now. He had to be strong, or he wouldn't see her again. And when he did find her, he would make that bastard Deling pay for taking her away from him.

Squall turned and walked away, his black boots tapping on the translucent blue pavement. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he care. He just had to go somewhere. His room at the Presidential Palace was suffocating him, but being out here didn't help much more. It was late, the others were probably asleep, or nearing sleep at any rate. But he couldn't sleep. He had to do something.

There were few people on the streets at this hour, for which Squall was grateful. He didn't want to have to deal with looking out for where he was going, or being given odd looks or any of that crap. Squall looked up and found himself back at the Presidential Palace. Squall frowned and looked around. How had he wound up here? He slung his head forward and reluctantly went inside. He might as well try and sleep.

He went up to his room, not bothering to turn any of the lights on, and threw his jacket on the desk with his gloves. He kicked his shoes and socks off and went over to the window. The Judge still hung there in the sky, tormenting him. He closed the curtains and went over to bed. He lay there, just staring at the ceiling above him. He wasn't sure how long he lay there like that; he just knew that when he woke up it was morning.

* * *

Rinoa lay on her side, her chest heaving and a pale hand reaching up to wipe her mouth. She had been sick again. Why, she did not know, but she put it down to the fear of today. It was the New Moon tonight. The night when Ronan and Morgana were going to do whatever it is they wanted her for – and she doubted it was for a tea party. They hadn't bothered to chain her up again. She could feel the faint press of the Anti-Magic Barrier again on her mind, and she was too weak to break through the door anyway. 

Rinoa pushed herself onto her knees, then slowly onto her feet. She still felt a little dizzy. Rinoa made her way slowly over to the tiny window on the right hand wall and clutched the bottom ledge for dear life. She knew if she didn't she would fall back. It was a grey morning, perfectly reflecting how she felt.

She let herself slid back down onto her knees, trying to stop the tears from falling. She had already shed so many, but she didn't want to again. She didn't want to give Ronan and Morgana the satisfaction.

Morgana…

The name seemed somewhat familiar to Rinoa now, but she couldn't think why. She had spend a good while last night trying to place the name, or the face, but couldn't. It frustrated her to hell. At least, it would if she wasn't there already.

In a few hours they would come for her. In a few hours it would be too late. In a few hours Squall couldn't save her. In a few hours she would lose what hope she had left.

In a few hours…

* * *

Laguna Loire sat with his head in his hands, staring at the pale unconscious form of a girl in front of him. He hadn't slept well since he had received the news of what had happened. He often came here in the middle of the night, when he couldn't sleep, just to be at her side. 

_Elle… sweet Elle… please wake up, please be okay._

Laguna got up from his chair and walked over to the window. It was morning and that meant he would have to go soon and get ready to see Odine. They grey clouds hung over Esthar like a haunting omen. Laguna had never believed much in omens, but he still he prayed that this one wasn't true. He prayed everything would be alright. He didn't want to leave Ellone's side, but he knew he must. If only he had been there with her, he might have been able to help her and she wouldn't be lying in that bed, gradually slipping away from them.

The doctors were unable to do anything for her. They still didn't know what was wrong with her, apart from the fact she was in some sort of coma, and her vitals were slowly dropping each day. Unless they could figure out some way to help her, it was only a matter of time until…

_If only Elle… I could have saved you from this torment. It's all my fault and I feel so goddam helpless. I promised her, I promised Raine I'd save you and look after you. But since I rescued you all I've done is put you in more danger… And this time there's nothing I can do to help you._

Laguna went back over to Ellone's cold, pale body and gently kissed her on the forehead. He watched her for a moment and then sadly left the room.

* * *

Selphie and Irvine were slumped in the chairs in the little room, Quistis was leaning against the nearby wall, lost in thought, Zell was practising his punches in the corner and Squall sat in one of the chairs staring at the floor, his arms resting on his legs. Laguna, Kiros and Ward had arrived about 15 minutes after the others and were talking quietly in a corner. Odine finally arrived and Squall leapt to his feet. 

"Well?" He demanded, "Where are they?"

"It vas difficult to identify their location, so zey must have some powerful magic barriers on ze place. But I vas able to identify zat zey are in ze Centra region, I think in ze group of islands south of Timber and north west of ze Centra Ruins. But zat is very rocky terrain and I am not sure you vill be able to land ze Ragnarok there."

"We'll manage," Stated Squall.

"You think you're up to it Selphie?" Asked Quistis

"Mmm…" She answered, thinking about it. She was a good pilot of the Ragnarok, but she wasn't sure if she was _that_ good. "Yeah, think so."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go save Rinoa!" Irvine said enthusiastically and everyone cheered in response, everyone save Ward (who gestured emphatically) and Squall. Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine left the room.

"Squall, hold up a second," Laguna asked, stopping Squall in his tracks as he tried to leave the room.

"What?"

"Just… be careful, okay? I know you're worried about her, but don't do anything rash will you?"

Squall looked at him carefully. He seemed so genuinely worried and concerned, and Squall doubted that it was all just concern for him. Ellone's words suddenly echoed in his head: _Tell Uncle Laguna… tell him I wasn't afraid…_ _Tell him I love him, and that he shouldn't blame himself…_

"I will." Squall nodded, and Laguna nodded back. "And… don't blame yourself. Ellone'll be okay." Squall tried to carry on, but couldn't find the words. Hopefully Ellone would be able to tell him herself, so he nodded again and left without another word.

Laguna watched him go dumbfounded. It didn't seem like the sort of thing Squall would say, and it seemed to match how he was feeling. It was the sort of thing Elle would say… Laguna smiled. The trio left Odine's lab and headed back to the Presidential Palace, and just as they reached it they saw the fiery red spaceship Ragnarok blast off away from Esthar.

* * *

Time seemed crawl past as if someone had cast a thousand Slow spells on everything but her. She lay curled up in the foetal position on the hard floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She had barely moved for hours and she was beginning to get cramps in her arms and legs. But she didn't care. 

Suddenly, the door flew open and banged against the stone wall. Rinoa jumped and pushed herself painfully into a sitting position. Two guards entered and stood on either side of the door, guns in their hands. They stared blankly ahead and made no movement towards her. Nothing happened. Rinoa wondered what was going, if they were letting her go for some reason, unlikely though it was. Footsteps echoed into the room and moments later, in the doorway stood Ronan Deling. Rinoa noticed another guard standing behind him.

Ronan kept his eyes focused on the young sorceress. He held his hands behind his back. He slowly moved forward into the centre of the room, the sound of his shiny leather shoes echoing before he came to a stop. He stood there, just staring at her and she stared back. His gaze was uncomfortable and she wanted so desperately to look away, but refused to do so. Eventually Ronan smirked, raised one hand and clicked his fingers. It sounded much louder than it should have normally done and the sharpness strange against the usual silence.

The guard who stood in the corridor moved forward and Rinoa now saw that he held a bundle of some sort in his arms, and there was a small tray balanced on top. He went over to Ronan Deling and lay bundle on the floor beside him, then picked up the tray and put it beside the bundle before returning to the corridor. She could see that on the tray was a small, clear flask containing water and a wooden plate with some bread on it.

"My Lady Morgana wishes for you to put the robes on."

"Tell her to go to hell," Rinoa croaked, her throat was dry.

"It wasn't a request." He moved towards her and then knelt down on the balls of his feet. He looked at her eyes, then at her dark hair. He reached out a hand and gently pushed a lock of hair behind an ear. She shuddered at his touch but he ignored it.

"You know what," He said quietly, returning his eyes to her face, "I can't wait until she's done with you and I can have what I want." He looked down at her body, then back up at her. "It won't be too long now before I have you in my bed. I've always wondered what it would be like to fuck a Sorceress. I've craved it even more since I saw how you danced that night at the ball." He leaned towards her, closed his eyes and sniffed her hair. Rinoa was too afraid to move. He gave a slight groan of satisfaction which Rinoa couldn't tell if it was deliberate or not. He looked at her again.

"But, I also want my revenge," He said more harshly. "My father was murdered by a Sorceress. All Sorceresses kill without regret or remorse, just like my father was killed. You don't deserve your power, you don't deserve to live. So once I've bedded you, I'll take great pleasure in executing you." He traced a line across his throat with a single finger.

Rinoa looked at him, trying to hide to look of fear of this twisted man. He smiled evilly, then stood up again and walked back to the door. He paused and turned back to look at her.

"Don't forget to put on the robes. We'll be back in a few hours, dear Rinoa."

And with that he turned on his heel and marched down the corridor. The guards left her cell and locked it again. Rinoa sat there motionless for a minute, then gave way to her emotions. Her whole body was shaking and her breaths were short and shaky. There was something about Ronan Deling that terrified her now. Whether it was because he had spilled his dearest desires to her now, that he wanted to have sex with her before executing her or because he just seemed so confident and she was losing hope.

Squall hadn't found her yet, and she was beginning to fear he wouldn't find her in time.

_Maybe, he doesn't want to find me. The last time I saw him we argued, and he was so angry. Maybe…_

No, she pushed those thoughts away. She loved him, and she was sure he loved her back. No matter how much they argued, he would still come and find her. Wouldn't he? Rinoa lay back down on the floor, and closed her eyes tightly, fighting away the tears that were so desperate to escape, just like she was.

* * *

_We're about to get to quite an exciting bit, most likely in the next chapter unless things go skewy. P Again, sorry bout the wait, but I had exams and then I had writer's block. But I'm gonna really try to push on ahead with this story and get it finished! _


	20. The Setting of the Sun

**Chapter 20 – The Setting of the Sun**

_Author's Note: I'd just like to thank everyone who has read this story since I posted the last chapter. I've had several more people add this to their story alert or favourite story since then, and it means a lot to me. Really, thank you all. So, I dedicate this chapter to everyone who is reading this now._

* * *

Morgana stared out of the window, standing quite still. Anyone seeing this would think she was just gazing out of the window, lost in thought. But that was not what Morgana was doing. She was watching. Watching for a sign, any sign, good or ill. The sun had passed the mid-way mark up above and now was beginning its gradual descent that would take only a few more hours to complete. As much as she would like to think that everything would go according to plan, she knew that nothing was certain. She knew that the lover would come and try and rescue his little sorceress. But when was what Morgana didn't know, and he could very well come when it was too late. Much too late. 

Morgana did not hope, she didn't believe it did much good. Why wish for something that could very well go badly and then have your dreams crushed? Instead, she preferred to try and be prepared for all likely possibilities, and even some of the less likely ones. No, she didn't hope for anything, but if she did she would hope that Squall would be too late.

Morgana was not only waiting for the sun to disappear from the sky and watching for any signs that could help or hinder her plans, she was preparing herself. The ritual would require a lot of power and energy on her part. But her reward would be well worth it.

Shalrock the blood red raven materialised on the back of the nearest sofa. Morgana smiled slightly, raised a pale hand and extended her forefinger slightly more than the others.

"Come, Shalrock. Tell me what dear Ronan has been up to," she said softly.

The raven flew onto her finger and sat there. It cawed quietly to its mistress, who looked satisfied at what she heard.

"So, Ronan has been to visit the little sorceress has he? Told her of his little desires? I can't say I'm surprised. He never could restrain himself, do as he was told. No matter. His part is soon to come to an end anyway," she mused, allowing herself another smile as the raven disappeared and she continued to look out the window.

* * *

_He was in the ballroom again. She was there as well, watching him. His heart lifted at the sight of her. She was okay. Rinoa opened her mouth and began to speak, but once again no words came. He could tell by the way her skin on her forehead crinkled slightly, he could tell by the look in her eyes, that she was trying to tell him something._

'_Rinoa, I can't… I can't hear you! Rinoa!' Squall said desperately, but she ignored him. _

_Then the shadow appeared. Squall knew what was coming but was helpless to stop it. He didn't move to stop the dark tendrils creep forth and wrap themselves around her body. Rinoa paid it no heed and reached out towards him. Squall finally reacted and, without thinking, pulled out his Gunblade and swiped and slashed at the shadow. He hit nothing but air, until one thrust connected. Then the shadow began to disperse and Squall already knew what was coming, yet didn't at the same time._

* * *

Squall jerked awake, breathing heavily. What happened? Where was he? He looked around and quickly remembered where he was. He was in one of the chairs in conference room aboard the Ragnarok. He must have fallen asleep, it was just a dream. Just a dream. It _was_ just a dream. 

He said it over and over again, trying to convince himself. His hands were still shaking slightly. It must have been, but it felt so real. It felt as if he had stabbed her. He couldn't resist a quick check of his Gunblade, which was free of blood, which made him sigh with relief.

He wondered why he kept having that dream, the dream where he stabbed Rinoa. Was it his subconscious telling him he felt guilty about Rinoa? That he had let Rinoa get captured and possibly killed? He didn't think so. He did feel guilty about it, but he didn't think the dreams had anything to do with it.

Squall rose from his chair and went over to the window. They were speeding over a large stretch of water. He guessed it was late afternoon/early evening from the position of the sun, but couldn't be sure. He was anxious to get there, to save Rinoa and stop that son-of-a-bitch Ronan.

Squall left the room and took the elevator up to the cockpit. Selphie was driving and Irvine was in the chair beside her. Irvine looked his way when he came up but said nothing. It gave Squall the uncomfortable feeling that they were just talking about something they didn't want him to know about, possibly him. He ignored it.

"Selphie, how far are we from Centra?" Squall asked

"Not far. I'd say about an hour 'til we reach the continent, then we just have to find the right place. ETA," She paused as she thought, "18:15."

"Can't you go faster?" He asked irritably.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Squall," She replied, annoyed at his tone and attitude.

"Doesn't seem like it," Squall grumbled.

"Squall," Irvine said warningly.

"I just think she could go faster," He said.

"Well, I'll do my best," Selphie answered, trying to prevent a fight.

"Good," Squall said shortly and left the cockpit.

Irvine stared after him. The pair said nothing for several minutes.

"I'm telling ya Selphie, that new attitude of his is really beginning to get on my nerves," Irvine said finally.

"He's just worried about Rinoa," Selphie said calmingly.

"We're all worried about Rinoa, but we aren't biting off everyone's heads and throwing temper tantrums everything three seconds." Selphie threw Irvine a look about his exaggeration.

"We don't care about Rinoa as much as he does. He _loves_ her Irvine. He cares about her more than anyone, she's the only who's been able to reach out to him. I mean, wouldn't you be a bit emotionally unstable if I was taken like she was?"

"Well, yeah. I would. But not the way he is. He's lost it Sefie." Selphie said nothing to this.

The fact was they had all been concerned about the way Squall was acting. It was just very un-Squall-like. They had all expected him to just draw back into himself, which to be fair he had done as well. It was just that none of them had expected his explosive side.

"And besides," Irvine continued, "I wouldn't let anyone take you away in the first place," He finished, leaning forwards and kissing her cheek, causing her to smile.

* * *

Rinoa sat in a corner of her cell, hugging her knees to chest and staring at the floor in front of her. The sun's low glare was shining in through the small window. It wouldn't be long now, that much she knew. She had eaten some of the bread and drank the flask of water, but her throat was still dry. She had ignored the purple robes she had been brought. Did they really expect her to put them on? Squall would save her anyway, so there wasn't any point. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. 

But where was he? Surely he should have been there by now? Surely he should have taken her away from here, and they should be safely back at Garden, or in Esthar? At this point, she would even prefer to be back with General Caraway in Deling City. It had been… how long _had_ it been? It seemed like forever. So where was Squall? She kept saying over and over in her mind that he would come for her, there was still time, but the thoughts were beginning to feel empty.

Rinoa tried not to think about what it was they wanted her for, but with each passing moment that there was no sign of Squall, the more she began to worry. She also feared about what Ronan had told her about, what his… his what? His reward? For one good screw with her before he had her killed. At this point she feared those 2 things more than whatever it was coming before them.

The sun began its long process of setting, casting an orange glow in Rinoa's cell. Her hand once more grasped around the rings on her chain, seeking the last remnants of hope and comfort she had.

She faintly heard the low thud of footsteps as she sat there, still. She slowly rose to her feet and pressed herself hard against the walls of her corner. This was it.

The door burst open and in came the two guards that stood on either side of the door once more. Then Ronan Deling came in with another 3 guards. Ronan looked slowly at the forgotten bundle of robes on the floor, then raised his head to look her her, lips pursed.

"Tsk, tsk. You didn't get dressed. That's such a shame," he said.

He inclined his head towards the guards who had come in with him and they moved past him. One went and picked up the robes from the floor, then came over and met the other two guards who had headed straight for Rinoa. Rinoa tried to back away from them, but she was already as far back against the walls as she could be. They reached out to grab her arms, to restrain her. As they did, she kicked out and struck out at them but to little effect. These two were more alert and prepared than the drunk who had come into her cell previously.

They grabbed one of her arms each, their grips so tight that she winced in pain. Rinoa struggled feebly, despite the fact she didn't seem to be able to get free. The third guard (who had gone for the robes), unbuttoned her blue duster and pulled it off her, the guards holding her shifting their hold on her accordingly. They then began to shove Rinoa into the purple robes.

They were long enough to reach her ankles and had full sleeves as well as a hood. The outside of the robes were purple, but on the inside they were dark blue with small white stars.

The guards shoved her into them, one arm at a time, and then fastened up the top few buttons at the front. Then the third guard backed away and stood behind Ronan.

"There. Much better. It would have been much easier if you had done that yourself," Ronan said, in a creepily soft voice.

He smirked at her and then turned and left the room. The two guards holding her pushed her forwards. Rinoa resisted and dug her heels into the ground in a vain attempt to stop them taking her. They pulled her hard and they began following Ronan Deling out of the cell and down the corridor. The last two guards, who had been standing on either side of the door, brought up the rear, leaving the useless cell door ajar.

* * *

The ruby red Ragnarok sped through the air towards the Centra continent. It was within sight now, and it was only a matter of minutes until they were there. Then they just needed to find where Ronan had Rinoa. 

They had all gathered now in the cockpit. Squall hovered behind Selphie's chair, who tried to ignore his presence and concentrate on what she was doing. The water below them rippled as they flew past, as did the grass as they passed onto the Centra continent itself. The dark frame of the Centra Ruins could be seen on the horizon against the orange sky.

"Odine's information says that they should be west-northwest of the Centra Ruins," Quistis said, looking a control panel at the bottom right of the cockpit, where they had inputted Odine's data.

"Okay Selph, take us there," Irvine said

"No, problemo."

She headed towards the Ruins, and just before she got there, she swerved the ship and headed west. The rocky area they were headed for was steep-sided and Squall wasn't sure how Selphie planned on landing the Ragnarok on that terrain.

The sun was beginning to set, which was good for them. It meant that they were less likely to be spotted and it would probably be easier for them to sneak through the place and find Rinoa. All five of them looked out across the land in front of them, trying to spot where Ronan was keeping her.

"There!" Irvine exclaimed, pointing at something.

Squall turned to looked at what he was pointing at and nodded. On the rock, stood a long grey-brown square building, and there was a small tower on the western side of the building. Squall realised it must be a fairly new building, since they had never seen it on their journeys before, but from what they could see the brick looked old and worn, as if it had been there for hundreds of years.

"Okay, let's bust in there!" Zell shouted, slamming his right fist into his left palm.

A small chorus of jubilant yells and cries met this, and Squall couldn't help feeling overjoyed. They'd found where she was, now they just had to get her back.

* * *

_Haha, sorry to leave you on a bit of a cliff-hanger there. I'll try and get the next chapter up soon though! Please review!_


	21. Assault

**Chapter 21 – ****Assault**

_Author's Note: This seems to be a recurring theme in my __AN's__, and for that I'm really sorry, but I'm also sorry for not updating in ages! I have a crazy work load this year and I have had little inspiration, but I'm really trying to get on with my stories. So hopefully, this will be the last time I apologise for such a huge gap!_

* * *

A myriad of red was splayed across the sky as the Ragnarok swooped down and prepared to storm the castle situated on the rocky formation just off the Centra Continent. Though the castle had never previously been spotted on their many travels across the globe, passing through Centra many times, the group could see the bricks were old and weather worn, as if hundreds of years old. The engines flared silently as the spaceship sank lower in the sky. The group hoped that the setting sun and the red hue it cast would help camouflage the ship so that they wouldn't be spotted and hindered in their plan.

Somewhere in that castle Rinoa was being kept, they knew it. Now they just had to rescue her and take her back to the safety of Garden. The only thing standing between them and her was a castle full of unknown corridors, and God knows how many soldiers.

"I'd say the best place to land the Ragnarok is over there," said Selphie, briefly raising one hand from the controls to point to a patch that was relatively flatter, though still hilly. It wouldn't be easy, but it would be easier than landing anywhere else on the island it seemed.

"Then lets go for there. Blow a hole in the side of the castle and we'll rush it. Try to get as far ahead as we can before the guards realise what's happening," Squall explained. Guerilla tactics really, but it was the best option available to them, they could hardly go and knock on the front door.

"Roger that!"

"You sure you're ready for this Squall?" asked Quistis, looking over at the brunette with deep concern.

She knew him better than just about anyone. They had been together for longer. Sure, they'd all grown up together in the orphanage, but they had both moved to Garden at roughly the same age. Zell had too, but he hadn't been as close to them in those years. Quistis had had a crush on the younger man for most of her youth, and even though she knew it would never happen, she still cared a lot for him. Squall didn't reply to her question. His mind was focused on the battle plan. _Blow a hole, rush in, __find__Rinoa_

"Let's go Selphie," was all he said.

The guards on patrol were supposed to keep an eye out for any trouble, make sure nothing was coming that Morgana did not want coming. But as the preparations for the ritual were stepped up, as a big rush descended on the castle, security slackened. The preparations themselves involved few guards, but some were getting jittery about what was going on. So it was that no one noticed the fiery red spaceship as it dropped out of the sky in front of the castle walls, guns raring.

The cylinders began to spin and warm up, taking a few seconds to prepare for firing. While the guns did this, Selphie levelled the ship, checked what she was doing and running through what she needed to do. Zell was sat in the seat beside her now, ready to fire the main guns.

"Guns are ready to fire. Let's go guys!" Selphie said

Zell pulled the trigger and the two main guns began to fire, blasting into the old worn rock. A cloud of dark smoke erupted into the air accompanied by a great boom as the wall was blown away. They continued to rain bullets down on the side of the building for a few more seconds.

* * *

Instead of being marched towards the room Rinoa had previously visited, Morgana's study, they went through a different door. The route up to that point had been the same, they still passed through the great marble corridor, but Rinoa didn't look up to appreciate the beauty of the place this time around. Instead of going along to the far end of the corridor leading to Morgana's study, they instead took a great, heavy, dark-wooded door two-thirds of the way along the corridor. They marched down a dark, stone corridor now very different to the one they had just left. Rinoa could barely see at first, and it took several minutes before her eyes adjusted to the changing lighting, despite the torches in the brackets on the walls to light the way.

They ended up in a large, circular stone room, which was surprisingly light. Horizontal gaps at the top of the walls ran all the way around the room, letting light into the place, though the setting sun covered the room in a red the colour of blood. Rinoa felt her stomach churn as she saw this.

There was a raised circular area in the centre of the room, a large pedastal. Two shackles and their chains were attached to the floor by great black, metal hoops. That was clearly where they were going to put her. Large torches were stood at periodic spaces around the room. What was most disconcerting about them was that in the winding metal frames burned bright green flames.

Stood with her back to Rinoa, was Morgana. The green emerald orb in the top of her gnarled wooden staff seemed to radiate light, seem to glow and react the room, to the crimson light flooding the room. As the woman turned to face her, Rinoa could see she had dressed up for the occasion also. She wore a long dark green dress, which flowed down and around the curves of her body. The top part was fairly low cut and V-shaped, and an emerald pendant hung around her neck. Her green-black hair fell across her shoulders in delicate waves and curls, reflecting the light. Rinoa would have thought her beautiful, had she not kidnapped her and was about to perform some insane ritual one her.

Beside Morgana now stood Ronan Deling, looking tall, proud and powerful that his plans were finally coming to fruition. As soon as they had entered, he had rushed to the woman's side, like a loyal lap dog. To the side, on a gnarled wooden perch, sat Morgana's faithful minion, the blood red raven Shalrock. He watched Rinoa with his midnight black eyes, and Rinoa felt a chill run down her spine.

"Rinoa, how kind of you to join us," Morgana said, a thin, sinister smile curled on her lips.

Rinoa wasn't about to let this woman put her down, not now that everything looked so bleak, so she was about to let some bitchy retort slip from her lips when a great roar interrupted her and the castle rumbled. Everyone looked around, utterly confused, though Morgana only let her confusion shimmer onto her face for a brief moment.

"Shalrock my sweet, I think I know what that was, but go and check for me," Morgana commanded.

The raven let out a loud squawk and lifted it wings as if to fly off. The outline of its eye glowed red for a moment and then the bird faded into the air, the eye being last to disappear.

* * *

The guns stopped unleashing bullets onto the building and the smoke began to drift away on the breeze and clear the air. Selphie peered through the smoke and, seeing that a hole had indeed been created in the wall, began to land the Ragnarok as close as she could to the entrance. The sharp claw-like rough landing arms stretched out as the ship neared the ground and gripped the rock underneath tightly.

The group rushed down to the exit ramp while Selphie secured the ship and then followed. Weapons were drawn as they hurried down the ramp and stepped onto the brown rock island. The sun had disappeared beneath the horizon now and the pastel hues were covering the landscape now.

Squall rushed forward in the lead, as always, and the group followed closely behind him. They dashed up the slope towards the entrance they had created in the wall of the castle, hearts racing, all focused on the prize. They were SeeDs, and they would succeed. A group of guards, who had been nearby when the Ragnarok had blasted through the exterior wall, appeared in the hole and raised their guns. Reactions kicked in and they all leapt to the side out of the way.

Squall swore under his breath, Quistis called for Irvine to fire back and Zell let out a cry of anguish. Squall and Quistis had ducked behind one rock, while Zell, Selphie and Irvine were hidden behind another one. Irvine was already crouched and firing at the guards, while Selphie was crouched beside Zell.

"Is he okay?" Called Quistis over the noise of gunfire.

"Yeah, bullet scraped his arm," Selphie answered, examining the wound on Zell's upper left arm. "Didn't go through, luckily. Just a scrape. Should be okay." She reached into the magic she had junctioned, "Cure!" she called, holding her hand over the wound. The bleeding stopped but the wound was still sore.

"That's all I can do right now," Selphie said.

"That's okay. I can still fight," Zell added.

"Sure?" asked Squall

"Yeah, now let's stop chit-chatting and let's find Rinoa!"

There had been four soldiers and Irvine had managed to pick off two of them by this point. One of them was hidden too much for him to hit and the other kept jumping in and out of cover too quickly for him to hit, but Irvine was sure he'd get him very shortly, he was pretty sussed on the timing now.

"I can't hit the one on the right from here!" Irvine called.

"I got it," responded Quistis, drawing on her well of magic, watching the soldier from behind her rock as she did so. She suddenly leant out a bit, pointing her palms towards the soldier and calling, "Thunder!" The spell hit the target and the guard fell onto his side. This distracted the other guard, giving Irvine the opportune moment to take out the fourth and final one.

With no more guards blocking their way, the group continued up the slope. They checked the guards as they reached the hole, and turned to look at Squall.

"Okay, two people need to stay here to cover our way out," he stated.

"I'll stay, I can pick 'em off from afar so I'll be more useful here," Irvine volunteered.

"Good. Quistis, you stay with him?" Squall asked.

"Sure thing."

"Let's go then," Squall said, motioning to Zell and Selphie.

Selphie quickly kissed Irvine and then went after Zell and Squall. Irvine and Quistis moved some of the rubble to create decent cover for themselves to defend their exit route, while the other three hurried off down the corridor.

The guards they encountered seem scattered, and were running around as if they had no idea what was actually going on. They posed little problem to Squall, Zell and Selphie as they hurried through the corridors, but not actually knowing where they were going. Their best guess was the western tower they had seen on their approach, and that was on the far side of the building. But it was a plan, and the SeeDs fought with determination, passion and hope, and their blood swam with adrenaline. Nothing was going to stop them now.

* * *

Rinoa was shackled to the pedestal in the centre of the chamber now, and she knelt there hopelessly. She could see stars starting to rise in the windows at the top of the room and feared that she was wrong. What if Squall wasn't coming after all? Was he not gonna rescue her? Morgana was preparing for her ritual, though what that involved Rinoa didn't know. Ronan stood nearby, ready to help if need be but content just to watch her suffer. It was nearly time, and Rinoa's heart was racing with dread and an undeniable fear.

"It's nearly time. Once the moon rises everything will be ready." Morgana smirked, her plan was almost complete.

"And then I'll get what I want?" asked Ronan

"Yes yes, you'll get it. Don't worry," Morgana replied, the annoyance in her voice was unmistakable.

A piercing caw echoed across the room and Shalrock appeared back on his perch, ruffling his feathers once he had materialised fully.

"Ah, Shalrock. And? What did you see my pet?" Morgana purred, her voice soft and gentle as she spoke to the raven.

Shalrock cawed twice more and flapped his wings once. If he was saying something, Rinoa didn't understand the bird noises. Morgana obviously did, or had some invisible telepathic link to the bird, because she understood what the bird reported.

"So I was right. That self-righteous knight has come to rescue his little sorceress. How disgusting. No matter, my ritual will be complete before he can interfere," Morgana mused.

"Squall?" Rinoa repeated

"Yes, he's on his way his dear. But don't get your hopes up. He won't reach you in time."

But Rinoa didn't care. Squall was here, he was here to rescue her. Hope was sparked off inside her. Help was coming, and she was sure that Squall would find her in time. She knew it. She couldn't possibly doubt Squall.

_Squall…_

* * *

_So there it is for another chapter. Sorry it's slightly short but I wanted to update, and if I carried on it would have been far too long. The next chapter might be quite long in order to get everything in that I want to get in. Not sure yet. __Hopfeully__ we'll find out soon! Reviewers review!_


	22. Persistence

**Chapter 22 – Persistence**

_Author's Note: Thanks again everyone for reviewing. I really appreciate them as usual. And I've tried hard to get this chapter written as quickly as possible, despite the madness going on around me. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more done during the April break, but since it's me I'm not saying I will for definite. I just wanted to mention one reviewer in particular, who really inspired me to get writing on this chapter. I don't particularly like naming individual reviewers because I value all your reviews, but this person really inspired me to get writing this time. They did it before too but it was so long cough before I posted the next chapter it seemed… strange I guess to mention them then. But I want to thank Kirsten. Anyway, enough rambling. On we go!_

* * *

Pop pop pop. Behind them, three small craters were blown into the wall. Not large craters mind. The auburn-haired sharpshooter peered carefully from behind the slab of rubble at the guards who has just fired the shots at them and thankfully missed. It had been close, he had only just managed to pull Quistis down in time. Having cast a few Thunder spells at the enemy she had been attempting to cast blind on a few of them, which was more difficult than it sounded, when Irvine had spotted the man taking aim at them. Quistis was kneeling beside him, waiting for a safe opening to continue firing.

Irvine Kinneas leant around the slab of rubble, which used to belong to the outer wall, quickly took aim and fired at the guard who had nearly shot them as well as a few of his friends. The first guard crumpled and the others ducked out of sight, Irvine couldn't be sure if he had gotten them or not.

Seizing the opportunity, Quistis leapt up and, having cast Aura on herself while ducked out of sight, used Degenerator on the nearest enemy. He cried out of pain and tried to duck out of sight as well. He didn't quite make it however, and Quistis struck him with a sharp snap of her Save The Queen whip. The man went limp as he fell unconscious.

She was about to start on another guard when the wall exploded around her nanoseconds after the bullets left their guns. She instinctively covered her head, and it took her a brief second before her senses caught up to her gut reactions and she leapt for the safety of the rubble behind which Irvine was already retaliating with gunfire of his own.

"They just never let up," Quistis said, kneeling beside Irvine.

"Nope," answered Irvine, in between rifle shots. "Let's just hope the others are having better luck than we are."

"They need it more than we do. We just have to protect the escape route. Meanwhile they need to find and rescue Rinoa, fight her captors along with god knows how many soldiers between here and there."

"Geez Quisty, no need to be too negative," Irvine smirked.

"I'm not being negative Irvine. I'm just being honest and realistic. Besides, I know they can handle whoever it is that has Rin. If we can defeat Ultimecia, we can defeat them."

"Do you think we should've gone with em? I mean, _we_ did defeat Ultimecia and all, all of us, together. Watch!" He grabbed Quistis at that point and pulled her down out of the way of another bullet.

"Thanks," she said. "And I know what you mean, but we're needed here this time. I'm sure Squall and the others can handle it."

"Yeah, it'll be a good way for him to let out all the anger and stress he's been building lately. He's hardly been the best company lately."

"Yeah. But he's just worried. He'll be okay after today. Besides," Quistis added with a smirk, "if he gets too out of hand I'm sure Zell and Selphie'll be able to manage him."

"Ha, you're right. Ah, dammit!" Irvine gritted his teeth.

A bullet had scraped the side of the rubble and had scratched his arm. Quistis bent over it and cast a Cure spell. It wouldn't heal it, but it would deal with it for the time being.

"Better?"

"Yeah, now let's take out these guys!"

* * *

"Lady Morgana, please. We have to hurry. We need to complete the ritual quickly before they get here!" urged a panicked Ronan Deling.

"Don't presume to hurry me Ronan, these things can't be rushed."

Ronan paced back and forth along a short, imaginary line, glancing from the floor, to Morgana, to Rinoa, to the door, back at Morgana and back to the floor again in periodic intervals lasting no longer than a few seconds. It was obvious that he was nervous, what Rinoa couldn't decide was if he was anxious or not.

"But if we don't hurry then Leonhart and co. will be here and our plans will be over!"

"Do you doubt me so, Ronan?"

"What? No my Lady! I didn't mean it like that, it's just… I wouldn't want for them to ruin our plans."

Morgana discretely rolled her eyes and carried on preparing for her ritual. In a cauldron at the side of the room she was brewing some concoction that had a repulsive, foul stench that Rinoa could even smell from where she was chained to the pedestal.

"Couldn't you have done that before? The sun has set! Let's do the ritual now! Before it's too late!"

"No Ronan, this must be brewed under the new moon, or the whole ritual could go awry," Morgana explained, her voice dripping with the tired loathing of Ronan's uneasy babbling. "Now, go and open the hole," Morgana ordered without looking up from her cauldron, pointing at a wooden handle on the wall that Rinoa hadn't even noticed before.

Ronan nodded and hurried over to it. He rotated it anti-clockwise and the ceiling above Rinoa groaned and grinded. Looking up, she saw that part of the ceiling was sliding to one side to reveal a large circular hole in the circular surface. The stone stopped with a loud thud and Rinoa could tell it's purpose immediately. It was for the ritual, what _that _was. Through it, you had the perfect view of the inky night sky, the stars and the spot where the moon should be.

"Good, we're nearly ready now. I need only add the final ingredients and we can begin," Morgana snarled, a thin malevolent smile on her pale face.

* * *

A flash of metal, a jarring clang, then another glint of metal and the guard fell to the ground. Not dead however, just unconscious. With that guard taken care of and no sign of any others in the immediate vicinity; Squall, Zell and Selphie continued on. How many of these corridors had they passed through by now? God only knew. Could they remember the way back? Simply put: no. Zell swore that the layout of the corridors changed every time you went around another corner but Squall only looked at him sceptically and hurried on.

Wooden doors lined the sides of each corridor, and the trio dutifully checked inside each one. Most of the time their brief glances revealed only empty prison cells. Sometimes these cells had old wooden furniture inside of them or chains on the walls, but most of the time they were empty and cobweb-ridden. A few times they had found rooms that were clearly guard offices for different areas of the prison, but most of the time they were empty, their guards off looking for the castle's intruders. Only twice had the trio actually found men in these guard posts. The first time there were six, maybe eight, guards inside and they had had to fight them properly. The second time there was only one guard inside and Zell quickly took care of him with a punch to the face.

They dared not miss a room for fear they might miss a vital clue, or Rinoa herself. Inside though, Squall knew they were unlikely to find her here, with so few guards, especially since they hadn't exactly entered the castle stealthily.

"Squall! Over here!" called Selphie from beside a door further up the corridor.

The door in question had been left open, and by the starlight, Selphie could see an important clue to finding Rinoa, though not a particularly pleasant one. Squall dashed up the corridor, followed by Zell, and slid to a stop in the doorway. In the dim starlight, he could see what Selphie had been calling about. Going over, he bent down and picked up Rinoa's discarded blue duster from the floor. It was definitely hers, he could see the white angel wings marks on the back. Confused, angry, and worried, Squall frantically searched around for more clues but found none. He squeezed the item of clothing in one gloved hand for a moment, then suddenly turned and ran down the corridor, dropping the blue duster as he went.

There was no point checking any more of the rooms, it was obvious that they all contained the same empty cells as before. Still, Zell and Selphie, who were hurriedly chasing after Squall, took alternate turns to briefly glance in a room every now and then to make sure. Before long, they reached a door that looked different to the others and the group ground to a halt. Squall tried the handle but found it was locked.

"Here, let me," said Zell, stepping up to the door and gently, but firmly, pushing Squall back out of the way.

He gave the door one good, hard kick and it opened. The wood around the handle splintered and broke, while the rest of the door banged noisily against the wall and the wood fractured some more. Squall gave the martial artist an annoyed look for announcing their presence so subtlely, but Zell merely shrugged. Squall rolled his eyes but let it go, for now. If they had to deal with more guards then so be it.

The corridor the trio found themselves in now was so very different they stopped for a moment and marvelled. The corridor was so very long, so long that there must be some kind of enchantment on it because they could've sworn that the castle wasn't this long when they had flown around it before. The floors, walls, ceiling and the pillars were made out of pure white marble with thin light grey veins. Ceiling high windows ran along the right hand side of the room, and the room itself was filled with luxurious furniture: portraits, sofas, beautiful vases, and much more. They stood in awe for a moment, before snapping back to reality and hurrying down the corridor.

There were no doors to speak of leading off the corridor to other parts of the castle, so they just continued to run and hoped they were nearing Rinoa. A few guards appeared every so often, but they appeared in groups of no more than four or five and were dispatched relatively easily. Around two-thirds of the way along the corridor they saw a door made out of dark wood, and made for it. Opening it, they found a dark stone corridor, similar to the one they had left not too long ago. Squall could feel that this was the right way to go, he didn't know why because it made no sense, but somehow he just knew it was the right way to go. With that, they pressed on.

* * *

Ronan's hands gripped her arms so tightly his fingers dug into her skin. Rinoa tried to move her head back, tried to turn her body away, but Ronan's vice-grip made this impossible. While Ronan held her still, as still as possible at any rate, Morgana ran a finger down the centre of Rinoas forehead, leaving a trail of the crimson substance Morgana had been brewing. Rinoa cringed, for she knew at least two of the ingredients. Morgana had added several drops of her blood to the mixture, then made a small cut on Rinoa's palm and added several drops of her blood to the mixture as well.

Morgana ran her finger over Rinoa's cheeks as well, from close to the nose diagonally across the cheek to the jawbone. She then lent back to examine her handy work before moving away. Ronan let go of Rinoa and followed Morgana.

"Are we ready now? Can we do it?" He asked eagerly.

"Almost," Morgana answered.

"Good. Good. Let's hurry then."

"I have told you, do not presume to order me around!" Morgana screeched, her voice growing in volume until it was at a level Rinoa though unnatural.

"I'm sorry my Lady," Ronan responded, cowering slightly, "It's just that, I know the Knight. I've heard of his reputation. He'll be here soon I know it!" Ronan gained courage with each word and moved towards Morgana, "He'll ruin everything! You don't know him at all. Besides, the sooner you get what you want the sooner I can have what I want!"

"I don't want to hear another word about your damned reward Ronan Deling! You are too greedy for what you want you spoiled brat." Ronan looked aghast at that. "I warn you, do not cross me again." Morgana had a threatening tone to her voice, a deadly edge. Rinoa didn't doubt she would act if Ronan persisted, and had it been her she would have left it at that.

"I can say what I like, after all, you wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me! I told you about the little Sorceress. Where to find her, who her friends were and everything. I took her from that Garden. You couldn't have done nearly so well on your own! You _need_ me! I'm essential to this whole plan, and I can do and say what I like, and if I say I want my reward then I-"

Morgana's hand shot from her side and stiffened into a claw-like grip. Ronan was thrust into the air and his hand clawed at his neck. Rinoa didn't realise what was going on at first, but she quickly linked Morgana's claw-like hand and Ronan's gasping breaths. She was strangling him magically.

"I told you not to cross me Ronan. I have had enough of your pathetic, snivelling whining. I have grown tired of your arrogance, thinking that you can order me around like your soldiers and your servants. You are just like your father Ronan, and it is clear that Delings never learn. I have no more use for you."

Ronan's face was turning a horrible shade of blue and Rinoa didn't want to watch anymore, yet found herself transfixed, her body paralysed by the act and unable to turn away.

Ronan hung there, suspended in the air for several long painful moments as the life was strangled out of him. He looked pleadingly around, first for mercy from Morgana, but she couldn't care less, then his eyes turned and begged Rinoa for help but she was dumbstruck by what was going on and was in no position to help anyway.

Eventually his arms dropped his sides and his body hung limply in the air. A second later, Morgana gestured to the side and the body collided with the wall and then fell to the ground. But before the body had even touched the ground, Morgana had turned away and was walking towards Rinoa, who looked at the woman with utter terror. How could this woman kill him so coldly, kill her 'partner in crime' so to speak. Who was she?

"It seems that these Delings are all alike. They simply never learn that you can _never_ trust a Sorceress."

She picked up the pot of the crimson substance and looked at Rinoa.

"Now my dear, where were we?"

* * *

_Dun dun duuuuunnnnnnn. P Am I evil? Part of me hopes so but part of me thinks I've failed pathetically. Oh well. Did you like? I hope so. I'm so glad I wrote another chapter so quickly. I'd like to hear more from you guys, favourite parts of the story, things I could improve on, or do you have any theories about what's gonna happen next? Anyway, reviewers review!_


	23. Memories

********

Chapter 23 – Memories

_Author's Note: Okay, as usual, it's been awhile since I last updated. But I'm sick of doing this, so now that I've broken up for summer I'm gonna do my best to carry on with my stories and, hopefully, finish ToF. I mean, I've dragged this on for long enough haven't I? So here I go…  
_"Now my dear, where were we?" Morgana said, picking up the pot containing the crimson substance. "Ah yes, the ritual." She looked up at the circular hole in the rooms ceiling high above their heads and a thin smile curled on her lips, "It seems the time is almost nigh for you, my dear."

* * *

Rinoa just stared back at her, her skin trembling. Her body seemed to shake of its own accord, as her eyes followed the movements of this Sorceress. Who was she? What was she going to do? This ritual of hers had so far given no hint to Rinoa of what might happen next, and she had never heard of this Sorceress before. She clearly had a lot of power, so how come no word had reached the Garden of her? How come everyone was so unprepared? Rinoa dreaded to think what might happen to her now, particularly since this woman had just killed the person she was working with seemingly without hesitation.

Where was Squall? They had heard various noises before; explosions, gunfire, shouting. That had to be Squall, it just had to be, she couldn't accept that it could possibly be anyone but him. So… if he was here, where was he? How come he hadn't burst in to rescue her yet? What if he didn't rescue her in time…? She was scared-

* * *

_**She was scared. She just lay there, curled up on the floor while those two… things leaned over her, snarling. What could she do? She was alone, she was powerless on her own. What could she do? She covered her head with her arms and pulled her legs up closer to her chest. Her hand closest the floor slowly moved away from her head and towards the chain around her neck. Her fingers met cold metal, then they found and curled tightly around the single ring on the chain. **_

**Mom… Please… help me…**

"_**Rinoa!"**_

**Mom? Is that you? No… It can't be… Is it…**

"_**Dammit, Rinoa, hold on!"**_

**Squall? Squall is here for me? But… how? I thought… I thought**** he had a mission… a SeeD mission. So, why is he here rescuing me? **

_**Her eyes were closed tightly, but she could hear the sounds of battle going on near her. And throughout it all, she lay there, curled up on her side on the floor, one arm over her head and the other curled around her mother's engagement ring on a chain around her neck. **_

_**Suddenly, she felt something touch her arm and she jumped. It didn't feel… menacing though, it didn't feel like one of things that had attacked her, those things with the front half of a giant green lizard and the back half of a lion. This felt… comforting? Friendly? Human… **_

_**She opened her eyes and looked up. Squall was kneeling beside her, checking if she was okay. Their eyes locked for a moment, and she knew she was safe. Then Squall looked away, broke the connection, and stood up. She pushed herself up onto one arm and looked at him. He turned to move away and she leapt up onto her knees and reached out to grab him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him close to her. **_

"_**I was scared…" She said to him. **_

_**She waited for a response, anything, but he said nothing and rested his forehead in his other hand. **_

"_**Really, really scared…" She added. **_

_**She heard him sigh, felt him sigh then heard his voice. **_

"_**Just stay close to me."**_

* * *

_****_

_**What could she do? She couldn't see or hear anyone anymore who could help her. She could hear the sound of fighting nearby, but it was gradually moving further away. She didn't know how much longer she could last. Her arms were aching. Zell, her only hope up to that point, had been unable to reach her and help her and so had gone to find more help. **_

She tried desperately not to look down again, she had looked down before and regretted it. She could see forests and a river far below her, with the spinning ring of Garden between her and that distant scenery, and she didn't want to see that dizzying sight again. She wanted to grasp her mother's ring for comfort, as well as Squall's ring which now kept it company on the chain, but even that small comfort had been denied her. If she let go of the rock with one arm then she knew she would lose her grip on the rock completely and fall.

_**She heard a sound off to her left and almost dismissed it as imagination. There was nothing to her left but air. But a moment later she was sure she had heard it. She turned her head and saw Squall flying towards her on a green Galbadian Paratrooper flying machine, a cable hanging down from it. He steered it towards her and as soon as it was close to her, she dared to let one arm go free of the rock and grab the cable. Her hand tightened around it and, moving one foot into the handle on the end, let go of the rockface completely. She swung on the cable on the end as Squall piloted the device away from the cliff and towards safety.**_

_**

* * *

**__**An eerie white light enveloped them and seemed to take over everything.**_

**What… what's happening… what's going on? I can't move… my body… Wait… my legs are moving… but I'm not the one moving them… what's happened to me?**

_**Her body moved forward. It hung limp in the arm and her head swayed from side to side slightly as her legs moved forward. Her body was limp, yet since it moved it was still rigid. It was as if she was a puppet… Though the eerie brightness still penetrated everything, she could see through it a little now. Her body was moving towards Seifer, who lay on the floor near the podium, and though she tried to stop her body wouldn't respond. Her body knelt down beside him. What could she do?**_

**Squall… I'm scared…**

**

* * *

****Is… this it? Is… this the end?**

_**Everything around her was inky dark. Her eyes roamed all around, looking into all the corners of her vision. Everywhere she looked it was pitch black, speckled with small dots of light in the far off distance. Even though she couldn't feel anything, from watching the white stars she could tell that she was spinning. She was slowly somersaulting backwards, head first. **_

_**The fuel gauge was running dangerously low, and she would be out of air in a few moments. Was this it then? Was this how she was going to die? Would she never see her friends again? Selphie, Zell, Irvine, Quistis, Zone, Watts… Squall… Would she never see any of them again? **_

_**She was out of air. Any moment now… What would it feel like? Would it be painful? Or would she simply fade away? Fade away and join her mother in the stars… Her eyes slowly closed…**_

"_**Rinoa!" **_

"_**Hold on!"**_

"_**It's Squall, Rinoa! Please hold on!"**_

_**She could her a jingling somewhere… It sounded far off, but near at the same time…Was it her mother? She opened her eyes slowly and saw her rings floating on the chain. Her mother's ring and Squall's Griever ring. **_

**Squall? I'm… still… alive…?**

_**She was so overwhelmed with happiness at being alive that she tried to reach out to touch the rings, forgetting the helmet would block her hands. Tears of joy rushed into her eyes and escaped before she could stop them, floating off around her. **_

_**She reached out one arm and pushed the button on the side of her suit. She felt a fresh burst of air flow through the suit. She was alive. She was safe. For now, but what could she do now?**_

_**She floated through space, utterly helpless for several long minutes that seemed like hours. Then before she knew it she collided into something and felt someone grab hold of her. She felt safety and hope fill her body and she knew who it was before they turned her around…**_

_**Squall…**_

_**

* * *

**__**He was running up the aisle towards her, but they both knew she was out of his reach. She knew what he was going to do, and it almost broke her heart. She knew it had to be this way, even though it hurt so much inside. It was better this way, better for the world. She was a Sorceress, and who knew when Ultimecia would possess her again? No, it was better for the world that she be sealed away. Why couldn't Squall accept that? What had changed? He had agreed when they landed and the Estharians had escorted her away, so why now? It was better this way… for everyone…**_

_**Except… not everyone… It wasn't better for her, or for Squall it seemed. It hurt them too much to go ahead with this. But it was selfish wasn't it? What would happen if she were possessed again and she was forced to do something terrible? The world would suffer because of their selfishness.**_

_**Squall pulled out his gunblade and slashed at the wiring of the sealing tomb. Steam billowed out and filled the whole room. She had been leaning against the front of the tomb, and since the wiring had been slashed the process was being undone. The steam and the process made the whole room turn a bright white and she could see nothing. The front of the tomb disappeared and she stumbled forward. **_

_**She stumbled out of the mist and saw Squall standing there, waiting for her. She collapsed into his arms and wrapped her own around him. He embraced her tightly and ran a gloved hand through her dark hair. She hugged him more tightly and buried her head deeper into his chest, so happy and so relieved to be with him again, more so than she thought possible. **_

_**She knew now that she couldn't bear to be parted with him once again… She knew it was selfish, but to be honest… she didn't care anymore… she just wanted to be with Squall… He had saved her, and that was all that mattered.**_

_**

* * *

**_Squall was always saving her it seemed… Rinoa always seemed to find herself in positions where she needed to be saved by Squall. But now it looked like Squall might not reach her in time… She would have to save herself this time… But she didn't see how she could.

She gritted her teeth and tightened every muscle to stop herself from shaking. She tightened her jaw and looked her captor in the eye, trying to be as confident as possible.

"Do what you like, I know we'll stop you," Rinoa said, trying her hardest to stop her voice from cracking.

Morgana merely chuckled.

"Oh my dear, is that really the best you can come up? Borrowed lines used countless times before, so that they lose meaning? How pathetic. I bet that they did not even comfort you at all, did they? I commend you efforts though my sweet, a fool like that Ronan might have believed your feigned confidence, but I can see through it so easily."

Rinoa knew what she said was true. But she was determined not to be beaten by her, she was determined not to give in. She would fight until she either had no energy left, she found a way out of this herself, or until Squall rescued her…

_Where are you Squall?_

_

* * *

__Okay, so I know it's not the most exciting chapter, but hopefully I'll update with a better one soon. Reviewers review!_


	24. The Light Connection

**Chapter 24 – The Light Connection**

_AN: Again, I am sorry for not writing in a while. But at least it has been _too _long… like, months. So here ya go!_

* * *

Morgana dipped her fingers into the crimson substance in the pot on her other hand, then raised her fingers to her nose and smelt them carefully, making sure none of the substance smeared her face. She smiled.

"Yes, that will do nicely," She said to herself.

Morgana took a deep breath and then raised the hand she had just dipped into the pot moments before. She held her fingers just above the rim of the pot and stood like that for several moments. Then, her long fingers slanting down towards the substance, she raised her hand higher and the substance followed. The crimson mixture curved and arched up like a serpent, moving towards Morgana's fingers as she led it.

Then, having raised it high enough, she moved her hand behind it and sent it in Rinoa's direction. But before it reached Rinoa it curved down towards the floor and slid onto the cold stone almost directly in front of her, but slightly to her left. The crimson serpent-like mixture slid across the floor around Rinoa in a perfect circle, but before reaching the point where it had joined the floor, the point at which the ever-increasingly long body of the serpent still touched the floor, it curved off and slid towards its mistress.

Meanwhile, the head of the serpent had moved in a straight line towards Morgana and was now moving in a perfect circle around where she stood, watching it affectionately. Then before it reached it's starting point around her it repeated what it had done before and moved off across the room and back towards Rinoa, heading straight for the tail end of the serpent. As it moved, the last the substance arched out of the pot and arced down towards the floor, ending in a pointed shape imitating a tail.

The tail hit the floor just before the head of the crimson serpent reached it's starting point. As it did, the head reared up and split horizontally at the front, creating a mouth and two elongated canines could be seen on the upper jaw. The liquid serpent stayed still for a moment, the head moving from side to side like a real snake. Then suddenly, causing Rinoa to jump slightly as she watched, the serpent shot forward and clamped its mouth on its own tail, the substance merging and becoming a simple loop once more. But as the head and the tail merged, the whole serpent-like circuit began to melt into the floor.

As the mixture vanished into the floor, Rinoa could see what it had done. Where the serpent had been moments before, now lay a circuit of crimson runes, the same shade of crimson as the snake. The runes created an almost complete circuit around herself, and another around Morgana, with a channel of runes connecting their two circles.

This was it, Rinoa realised, it was almost time for Morgana to work her magic, do what it was she wanted. If she was going to do something, this was her last chance it seemed. But what could she do? She was chained up, her body was weak and tired, she was stuck in a room with another sorceress who could do Hyne knows what to her, and that drug she'd been given still prevented her from accessing her magic.

Seeing no other option left to her at that moment, Rinoa tried in vain to access her magic. The pressure preventing her from using her magic had lessened slightly within the last hour, but she could still feel its presence dominating her mind.

She closed her eyes on concentration and focused on a spell, the first that came to mind, muttering the name under her breath.

_Fire… fire… fire… fire…_

"Fire," she said a little more determinately, looking at Morgana.

The hem of Morgana's sleeve smoked slightly but there was little, if any, damage whatsoever. Rinoa groaned in frustration and desperation. Morgana merely chuckled.

"Oh my dear, you won't be casting magic against me any time soon, so you might as well give up now. You can't even cast a simple spell like Fire," Morgana said patronisingly to Rinoa.

Rinoa glared at her through her chocolate brown eyes, and pulled at the chains in the vain hope of wrenching them free.

Morgana lifted her eyes from Rinoa and turned them instead to look at the hole in the ceiling. It was time…

Morgana waved her hand over the now-empty pot in her hand, causing it to shimmer and vanish. Then she held her arms out to the side of her and extended and separated all her fingers as much as she could.

Rinoa's attention was caught but this and she forgot to struggle for freedom out of apprehension and fear as Morgana began to chant, her eyes closed. As she did so, the crimson runes on the floor began to glow as if they were a part of the moon itself…

"_Alees anamam amaro corro calis kashuut…_

_Pringo mayum sectum ono sempra ilian no finite…_

_Mayum tayshut liberi farrash… _

_Kisum veritanus prios… _

Lords above…

I Morgana, faithful follower of the craft…

Do beseech thee…

Lend me your will…

Lend me your power…

Help me strip the magics of this traitor to the craft…

Help me strip this undeserver…

Help me strip her of her power…

Lords above…

I do beseech thee…

Grant me your power…

So I may absorb her own…

_Kali kanimam yut tu serra…_

_Kali jas ano kakasha…_

_Kali mayum prios anamam kashuut!"_

At those final words a flare of light gathered at the empty spot in the sky where the moon was but could be seen. The light gathered for a moment and then plummeted through the sky into the chamber. Rinoa raised her arms as if the shield herself but the light stopped and spread out across the chamber, filling it with light, as if it had hit an invisible barrier. The light, upon hitting the barrier (if there was one, Rinoa did not know), spread out and became many smaller particles that rolled and settled in the air like sand.

But at the centre, stopped in its tracks, was a blazing ball of light. The ball stayed there for a moment, shaking slightly, before suddenly swooping down towards Morgana and shooting into her chest. She cried out in pain and took a slight step back, but still within the constraints of the rune barrier. If any entered or left the barrier then the spell would be ruined.

Morgana shook for several moments from the force of the ball of light joining with her and then smiled as the power coursed through her vains. A few seconds after the light entered her body, a column of light erupted from Morgana's chest and shot down the channel of runes and struck Rinoa. Rinoa cried out in pain at this, but for her it was not followed by a feeling of power.

Connected by a column of bright light, Rinoa began to feel worse and weaker as Morgana felt better and stronger. Rinoa could feel her powers, her magic, her _strength_, flow out of her and into Morgana through the light. Morgana revered the immense power she felt, while Rinoa was immobilized by pain and could barely think coherently

_I'm… getting weaker… by the second… I don't know… If I can withstand… this… pain… I know it… If I don't get out of here… this spell… will… kill… me… Squall… please… where are you…?_

* * *

Squall charged down the corridor at full tilt, not stopping to wait for Zell and Selphie, just expecting them to keep up. They did follow of course, but thought Squall was being rather reckless. They shared this through understanding looks, not daring to voice their opinions.

Though he didn't stop to wait for the other two, Squall did suddenly skid to a halt as the progressed down the corridor. A scream of agony echoed through the hallway, and there was no doubt as to whom the scream belonged.

"Rinoa…" Squall said, "Rinoa! She can't be far now! Come on!" He ordered and took off down the corridor.

Zell and Selphie exchanged another glance before Zell shrugged and hurried after them. Selphie groaned before following – she really just wanted a couple minutes rest first, but knew that wasn't going to happen.

The corridor they ran down was very dark, the only light coming from the small candles in holders on the walls. It was difficult to see where they were going and Zell nearly tripped more than once.

Squall continued to run with determination, focusing only on his goal, his body moving automatically along the corridor.

_Rinoa… I'm coming… I'm going to rescue you… I'm coming… Don't give up… Don't worry… I'm coming… I promise you… I'm coming… Rinoa…_

Squall slowed as he rounded another corner and was surprised by what he saw. At the end of this corridor was a wooden door, nothing special about it. But from the gaps all around the door came a brilliant bright light that lit up the corridor to the extreme. Squall squinted his eyes slightly to protect them, as did Zell and Selphie when they came around the corner, Selphie even raised an arm to shield her eyes.

"That must be where she is…" Squall said before stepping forward to hurry down the corridor.

Zell reached an arm out to grab Squall and spun him around to face them.

"Hey man, you really think just rushing in there is a good idea?" Zell said

"Yeah, I mean, that light really _can't _be a good sign now, can it? We could get disintegrated or something if we go in there!" Selphie added

"Rinoa's in there! She could be disintegrating right now for all we know!" Squall snapped

"Not necessarily…" Zell answered, but he didn't look entirely sure of his answer.

"It's Rinoa! We can't just leave her there!" Squall said desperately.

Then as if to confirm it, another cry of pain from Rinoa echoed down the corridor. Squall didn't bother waiting to explain himself anymore and dashed down the corridor, followed closely by Selphie and Zell.

Squall grabbed the handle and tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. He pulled with all his might and banged on the door but still it would not open. Zell moved Squall aside silently and tried pulling on the handle himself. Squall let him, knowing Zell had more physical strength than he did, and instead concentrated on banging on the door, as if hoping doing so would cause it to open.

"Rinoa! Hold on! I'm here! I'm coming! Let me in! Rinoa! Rinoa!" He called through the door as he banged his fist angrily against it.

* * *

Morgana turned her head to look angrily at the door. How had they gotten here so quickly? Why were her guards so incompetent? Well, she reasoned, some of them were Ronan's soldiers, that could explain it… What could she do? If they came in here they would undoubtedly interrupt her spell! Then all her plans would be ruined!

Rinoa meanwhile was clinging desperately to the hope that Squall was here. Her mind was growing fuzzy and she knew she would soon pass out at least, but she could still hear Squall faintly. Her eyes were closed and she was on her hands and knees, not having the strength to stand or sit anymore.

_Hurry Squall…_ She thought faintly

On the other end of the light connection, Morgana was trying to think of what she could do. The door would delay them but ultimately it would not stop them. She couldn't battle them while the spell was taking place and if they crossed the runes the spell would break.

_I will not have my plans shattered! I cannot wait longer! But what can I do?! _

The banging on the door grew louder and Morgana knew they would break in soon.

_Dammit! It would appear I have no other choice! Curse them!_

The sorceress straightened up and concentrated and she began to glow green. As the seconds passed, Morgan began to glow brighter and brighter and the column of light began to quiver.

Then all of a sudden, the door gave and Zell yanked it open and Squall dashed inside. At the same moment, Morgana vanished and the column of light receded, Rinoa collapsing on the floor.

Squall, Zell and Selphie looked around the room confused for a moment, unsure of what happened. But Squall quickly ignored it and hurried to Rinoa's side. She was lying face down on the floor, her wrists shackled by chains to the floor. He pulled his gunblade out and swung at the chains connected to the shackles on her wrists. The chains sliced neatly and easily in two and Squall quickly sheathed his gunblade again.

He lifted Rinoa up and turned her over, frantically searching her face. She was unconscious. He put his ear near her mouth and could hear her breathing. Good, but it was very faint. He ran his hand through her hair.

"Rinoa! Rinoa! Wake up! Come on Rin! Wake up!" He pleaded, every inch of his soul hoping she would respond.

He could feel tears stinging his eyes but he fought to keep them back.

"Come on Rinoa, you've got to wake up!"

A small groan escaped her pale lips and she stirred in his arms.

"Rinoa?"

"Squall…?" She said faintly, her eyes opening slowly.

"Rinoa! It's me, it's Squall. I'm here. Don't worry. You're safe."

Her eyes were open fully now and he could see colour returning to her cheeks.

"Oh Squall!" Rinoa cried, leaning up and throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "It is you… I knew it… I knew you'd come…" She said, squeezing him tighter, a thin smile curling on her lips.

* * *

_Okay, don't worry. That's not the end. P Reviewers review!_


	25. Two Days Later

**Chapter 25 – Two Days Later**

_AN: Thanks to everyone for waiting and being so patient with me! The story's not over just yet though… *evil smirk*_

* * *

It had been two days. Two days since they had travelled to Centra to rescue Rinoa. Two days since Morgana disappeared. Two days since President Ronan Deling had died. Two days since their lives seemed to have ceased crashing down around them.

After finding the young Sorceress, the group of SeeDs had wasted no time in flying back to Balamb Garden in the Ragnarok. She was checked out by Dr. Kadowaki and apart from some minor cuts and bruises was found to be okay. No long term damage. So everything could return to normality, couldn't it?

* * *

"Maybe we could do it?"

"Nice idea hun, but no."

"But we did fine last time!"

"Yeah, but you're not performing at your own wedding," Irvine said, fighting back a smile at the cheery young brunette.

"Okay, then Squall and Rin could lend a hand this time, they could replace us!" Selphie fought back.

"Have you seen Squall play an instrument?" Zell interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"…Point taken," She replied, looking a little crestfallen.

"We'll find someone to hire. It'll be fine, don't worry," Irvine reassured, giving her a gentle squeeze.

"Even if he could, I don't think you'd have a good time convincing him to do it," Quistis interjected.

The four were sitting at a table in the corner of the Cafeteria. Quistis and Zell, who was upset at being too late to get any hotdogs, sat opposite Irvine and Selphie as they talked over possible wedding plans and students milled around them.

"Rin could probably do it. She's done it loads of times. She managed to convince him to wear that pink Hawaiian shirt like Mayor Dobe's once, didn't she?" Selphie replied, smiling at the memory.

"True, the lady has skills," Irvine admitted.

"Yeah but I don't think either of them are really up to that sort of thing at the moment," Quistis said.

"Does anyone else think Rinoa's been acting a little strange since she got back?" Selphie asked cautiously, looking from one person to another.

"I know what you mean, she doesn't seem like herself," agreed the martial artist.

"Well she has just been through a major trauma don't forget. She must've been so scared and helpless. It'll be a while before she's her normal self again," Quistis said.

"Yeah, I know that, but I'm just saying it's weird. She hasn't hung out with us or done anything that she used to." Selphie frowned, there just seemed to be more this than people thought.

Selphie was seriously worried about her friend. The young sorceress had barely left her room since they had returned and wasn't acting her usual self at all. Selphie had gone round to her room to visit her and see if she wanted to talk, but she didn't speak very much and didn't seem to make any kind of effort. Normally if Rinoa was upset or worried, Selphie could see it written all over her face and she would end up confiding in her – not that there was that much upset her anyway.

Quistis could see how worried she was. Selphie was trying her hardest to hide, to be the perky one as always, but she could still see the worry etched on her face.

"How about we have a girl's only excursion into town? We could do a bit of shopping and have some coffee maybe?" Quistis suggested.

"Yeah, I guess," Selphie answered quite flatly, lacking any real enthusiasm.

"And we could invite Rinoa of course, it'll help take her mind off things," Quistis added.

"Yeah! It'd be really good for her! I'll just go ask her. Meet you in the parking lot in 15?" Selphie didn't even wait for an answer, jumping out of her seat and dashing past the swarms of students towards the exit.

"You really think Rinoa'll want to go?" Zell asked doubtfully

"Not really, but it'll do them both good," Quistis replied.

"If only we could do the same for Squall."

"Is he still being moody?"

"Yeah. Well, more so than normal that is," Irvine answered. "You'd think he'd be happy, now that he's got Rinoa back but…"

Quistis sighed, they may have rescued the Damsel the Distress and driven away the bad guy, but their problems weren't over it seemed.

* * *

"…and the guys from FH say they're in the middle of a project right now but can fit us in for any repairs at the end of next month. Oh, and there's been several messages from the Galbadian government about President Delings funeral in a few days, we still need to send a representative and security team down, and also about the Delings successor."

Silence. Xu looked up at the Commander, who was hunched over his desk but with his head turned to stare out of the window. He'd barely moved since she came in and hadn't moved at all in minutes. How did he not have a sore neck? she wondered. She looked back down at the pad on her lap.

"And Esthar's been on the line too, asking how everything is and if there's anything they can do to help."

She glanced up, but there was still no response, no sign he'd heard what she'd said. Normally he would've grunted or made some kind of gesture that he'd heard, especially when it came to Esthar.

"And there's a blue Moomba in the corridor asking you to go and play croquet with him and a dwarf behemoth wearing a sombrero." She added.

Squall didn't turn his head but glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Sorry, I just had to check you were actually listening."

"Is that everything?" He asked grumpily.

"Yes," Xu answered, standing up and putting the sheet with the messages on his desk.

She was about to turn and leave the room but stopped. He looked so… detached, so worried, so un-Squall-like it was unsettling. He was never this upset. She sighed.

"Squall, is everything okay?" She asked.

No answer.

"You know, we may not be the closest friends in the world, you might just see me as a SeeD and subordinate for all I know, but you _can_ talk to me Squall."

"I'm fine."

"Is it Rinoa?" She knew it would be, but she wanted him to admit it and open up, to her if no one else.

"I said, I'm fine."

"Squall, I can't help you if you don't open up to me. No one can."

"I'm fine, now will you give it a rest? Is that all?" He said, turning to look at her.

Xu was a little taken aback by his sternness. There must have been something really troubling him. She'd ask Quistis about it when she saw her next, Squall was more likely to open up to Quistis than herself anyway.

"Yes, sir," Xu answered and turned to leave.

She paused in the doorway on her way out and saw the Commander staring out the window once more. She sighed and quietly left the room.

Glad to be left on his own once again, Squall stared out of the window. Xu had offered herself as a confidante, but he couldn't confide in her. He couldn't confide in anyone. How could he? It was absurd to himself. How could anyone understand what he was thinking?

It was post-traumatic stress, he told himself, that was why Rinoa was acting so strangely. But still there was something not quite right. How could anyone else understand that though? Why couldn't he just be happy to have her back, safe, with him?

* * *

Selphie knocked on the door and waited a moment. No answer. Was she just not answering? Selphie slowly opened the door and stuck her head inside.

"Rinoa?"

The young sorceress was sitting at the desk and looked up as the door opened and Selphie entered.

"Can I come in Rin?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you knock."

"That's fine. I musta been super-sneaky," Selphie smiled.

Angelo had been lying on the floor beside the door up to this point, and as soon Selphie came in she stood up and came over.

"Hey Angelo, watcha doing over here?" Selphie said, bending down to stroke the animal. "You should be giving your mistress a lot of hugs and kisses to make her feel better," She added in loud pretend-whispers.

Selphie smiled and looked up at the Sorceress, who just watched them expressionless.

"You okay Rin?" Selphie asked, coming over to sit on the bed right behind her, "You seem a little…?"

"I'm fine, I'm just… getting used to everything. It's strange to be here," She answered, looking at the brunette. "You know, after what happened." She added, hastily.

"It's fine. You don't have to justify yourself. We were just worried bout you is all. You can talk to us about it you know, if you wanted."

"I know, I just… can't."

"That's fine. We're here for whatever you need us for."

They sat in silence, for a few moments. Selphie gestured for Angelo to come over, as she was sitting by the door just watching.

"Listen, Quistis and I were thinking about go into Balamb for a girlie trip. You know, shopping, drinking coffee, gossiping, that sorta thing. You wanna come?" Selphie asked cheerily, trying to get a smile back on her friend's face.

"No, I-"

"Oh come Rin, it'll be fun!" Selphie interrupted.

"Really, I can't."

"Please Rin, come on-"

"I said no," the Sorceress snapped.

Selphie just looked at her sheepishly for a minute.

"Sorry, I…" Selphie trailed off.

"No, I'm sorry Selphie. I didn't mean to snap. I just don't feel up to going out just now. How about some other time?"

"Okay… Okay, sure. Maybe we could have a big movie night with five different kinds of popcorn!" Selphie suggested, perking up a bit.

"Five?" The Sorceress questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, all the best movie nights have five different kinds of popcorn. Maybe more if I can find 'em!"

"Sounds great."

Although she was agreeing to this, Selphie could see that she didn't look overly enthused by the idea. It was enough for now though, maybe Quistis was right, maybe she did just need time?

"You wanna come too, don'tcha Angelo?" Selphie said, bending down and reaching out for Angelo to come over.

While the canine partner normally would've come over immediately and enthusiastically, never missing an opportunity for praise; Angelo remained sitting perfectly still by the door.

"What's the matter with her?" Selphie asked, frowning.

"…I don't know… She's just been acting strange since I got back, maybe it's just some strange smell I picked up…"

"Really? Weird," Selphie said, she couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary, but then again, dogs noses were better than humans.

"Silly dog, there's nothing wrong with her," Selphie said, going over to stroke Angelo, who looked up at her then at her mistress and back.

"I'll see ya later then. Tell me if you need anything okay?" Selphie said, straightening up.

"Will do."

"Bye Rin. Bye Angelo." Selphie gave a small wave and then turned and left the room.

The Sorceress gave a faint smile to the brunette as she left, but it dissolved as soon as the door closed. She looked at Angelo who still sat by the door for a short moment, before turning away.

* * *

_Okay, another chapter done. Sorry if it's a bit rushed, been meaning to write this for like a week and knew that if I didn't do it now I'd put it off and forget about it for ages. So yes, the story goes on =P reviewers review! Please?_


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